I'll Come For You
by Shylar
Summary: Kyra Storm never speaks, she's shut herself off from the world and hides her pain behind a mask of ice. Moving to Forks, she encounters the Cullens and Alice breaks through the silence. Can Alice fix a broken soul? Self injury and homosexuality!
1. Kyra

**WARNING!!! This story contains descriptions of self-harm and there is a distinct possibility that this will increase in future chapters. If this disturbs you or will trigger similar behaviour please do not read further!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the vampires, sadly, or any of the characters original to Twilight. Kyra, Nancy, and the foster family plus Becky's friends are my creations however.**

Countryside flew by my window as I gazed out, lulled into a near sleep by the monotony. I could vaguely make out soft rock music playing in the background, and Nancy Adams shifting in her seat. After the first hour she'd adapted to the silence, become used to it and stopped attempting conversation. I hoped the unsettled movement wasn't indicative of further talk.  
"We're nearly there, Kyra." Nancy said after clearing her throat. An hour of silence was enough to make her throat raspy from disuse. Imagine what mine would be like! Three years is a long silence. I made no effort to show I'd heard her and, discouraged, she lapsed back into silence for the remainder of our journey.

Twenty minutes later we finally pulled up in front of the stereotypical American dream house. White picket fence, nice garden that was green even though it was October, and, of course, the white wooden house itself, double story with blue shutters on the windows. I wanted to roll my eyes at how cliché the house was, but I couldn't work up the will. Instead I got out of the car and followed my social worker to the front door, holding my small bag in my hand. Even before Nancy Adams knocked I could hear whispering on the other side, the tones excited although the words were indistinct. At her knock the voices stopped briefly before starting again with an urgency that they had lacked before. Seconds later the door was pulled open, revealing a middle aged man with a moustache and mousey brown hair, a slightly younger wife with blonde hair and a little too much makeup, and a teenaged girl with her father's hair and a smile.  
"Hello! You must be Miss Adams and Kyra." The man said, gesturing for us to enter the house. Nancy stepped over the threshold with ease while I lingered uncertainly for a second before edging after her.  
"Yes, pleased to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Yorkshire. And I take it you are Rebecca?" Nancy said to the teenager who grimaced.  
"Becky." She corrected, holding out her hand. With a surprised expression, Nancy shook Becky's hand.  
"I'm so sorry we're late, I didn't realise how long the trip would take." Mr. Yorkshire shook his head, smiling.  
"Don't worry, not a problem. Kyra is probably exhausted anyway so this way she can go straight to bed." He replied cheerily. I _was_ exhausted so I was glad I would be allowed to sleep almost immediately.  
"Wonderful. Well, I'll just get you to sign these forms and I'll be off. Oh, and its probably best if Kyra starts school tomorrow morning, putting it off will give her more time to stress about it." Nancy said, handing some forms to Mr. and Mrs. Yorkshire. I cringed mentally, hating her for bringing up school.  
"Of course, definitely. Becky will show her around the school, won't you Becky?" Mrs. Yorkshire said, forcing Becky to agree. Social etiquette did not allow her to refuse. Great, so if Becky didn't want to show me around she was probably pissed now. Warily, I looked at her, studying her body language. She didn't seem angry, in fact her smile looked genuine and there was no hostility in her eyes. Nancy collected the forms, ruffled my hair and left with promise of returning for check ups. Great, I thought, just great. It was just what I needed, Nancy Adams frequenting the place I was _supposed_ to be making a new life in. Like that would help.

I must have been exhausted because I remember nothing after Nancy left. I woke the next morning feeling refreshed but wary, so basically normal. The unfamiliar room and soft bed confused me for a second before I remembered being transferred to the Yorkshire family for fostering. I slipped out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom, head lowered incase anyone came out of their rooms. Nobody did. I quickly returned to my bedroom and grabbed some clothes, showered and dressed for school. I had no idea what to expect, not having attended high school, well, ever. I had just finished getting changed when there was a tap at my door. Frozen with fear, all I could do was stare at the closed door. There was a pause before someone sighed.  
"God, how do I know if I can go in?" I heard Becky ask herself, although I don't think I was meant to hear that part. "Um, Kyra? I'm coming in. If you're not dressed or something I, uh, guess you should put a blanket around yourself." If I were someone else I might have laughed at that. Of course, if I were someone else she wouldn't have had to say that. As it were, I just waited for her to come in, my eyes averting to the floor the second she crossed into my room. "Hey, it's breakfast time. Then I'll take you to school, ok?" I didn't reply and she seemed to interpret my silence as agreeing. "Great, come on." She said, leading me downstairs and into the kitchen.

Just under an hour later we stood in the reception of Forks High School, student population circa 300. That's a lot of people! Perhaps I could get lost in a school that big, be invisible. Judging by the way the teachers were calling students by their names, the invisibility was a no go. A nice lady with a badge that said Mrs. Cope tried talking to me.  
"Hello dear! Can I help you?" She asked in a cheerful manner. I kept my eyes on the ground as if I hadn't heard her. Luckily Becky was there and she covered for me.  
"Hi, Mrs. Cope. This is our new foster kid, Kyra Storm. She, uh, doesn't talk." Becky sounded awkward when she said the last sentence. Mrs. Cope just nodded as if she got that kind of thing every day.  
"Alright, sweetie, that's ok. We'll fix you up in no time. Now, let's see, Kyra Storm, Kyra Storm." She repeated my name as she scrolled through the list of students on her computer. "Ah, there we go. Ok, just a second and I'll print out your timetable. Will you show her around, Becky?" Becky nodded and with a cheerful smile Mrs. Cope handed my timetable to her. I followed Becky out of the reception without a backward glance.

Turns out I wasn't in any of Becky's classes. The teen took me to my first class, English, and scanned the room for her friends.  
"Oh, there's Angela. Angela! Can you look after Kyra? She doesn't know her way around yet." Becky said, palming me off to the first person she recognized in the class. Angela, a black haired girl with glasses, smiled and agreed readily.  
"Sure Becky. Hey Kyra, how are you?" I felt rude not replying but there wasn't a whole lot I could do about that. Becky was gone so there was nobody to cover for me. The silence grew longer and became awkward. "Uh, ok, um, I'm Angela. And I'm gonna, um, go sit down. You can sit wherever, I guess." She edged away from me. There were only a few spare seats anyway. I chose one at the back of the class in the corner, so I would only have a person on one side of me. There was nobody there now. I took my seat and stared out the window, ignoring the buzzing of chatter as people summed me up. Apparently a new student around here was big news. Less than a minute after I sat down someone slid into the chair next to me. I didn't look, praying it wasn't a student who would talk. My luck was in, class started without a single word from my neighbour. As I regarded the workbook I'd been given, letting the teacher's words wash over me, I couldn't help but glance over when the student beside me moved in her seat. Oh my god! She was gorgeous! Maybe 150 cm tall, with soft spiky black hair and flawless ivory skin; she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. My breath literally caught in my throat. Almost as if she heard my almost inaudible choke, the girl looked at me with soft, honey eyes. Embarrassed, I looked away, blood rushing to my face. For almost twenty minutes I cowered in my seat, trying to control my heart rate and listening to the blood pound in my ears. I looked at the clock. I was desperate to relieve the pain. In this heightened state I was vulnerable, I needed to control it. After a brief internal debate I got to my feet and waited. The teacher, one of those women who wears very long dresses and has bushy hair, looked at me in confusion.  
"Yes? Is there a problem? Miss?" I trembled, not sure how to request a bathroom break.  
"It's Kyra Storm, the Yorkshire's foster kid." One of the students said and I flinched at my name and situation being common knowledge.  
"Oh. Well, Miss Storm, I'm not overly good at guessing games. Miss Cullen will you take her outside and find out what she wants. She'll probably need help finding her way around as well." The teacher said before returning to her lecture. I edged around the class to the door and slipped outside, followed by the girl who had been sitting next to me.  
"Hi, I'm Alice Cullen." The girl said with a smile the second we were out the door. "Do you need the bathroom?" something about the look on my face must have given it away because she smiled and nodded. "Ok, come on." She quickly turned down the corridor and led me to the bathroom, talking occasionally but never seeming to need a response. I was glad because I would have hated to need to ignore her. The bathroom was large and green with paper scattered over the floor. Alice leaned against the wall.  
"I'll wait for you." She said and I slipped into a random cubicle. Once I'd locked the door I quickly found a pin I'd ferreted away earlier in the day. I took it out of my pocket and rested it against my thigh. The cold metal felt nice, digging in just a little. I pressed harder, biting on my lip to stop myself from gasping, and then slashed it across my thigh. Blood welled up and I ripped toilet paper off, pressing it to my leg. A knocking at the door made me jump.  
"Kyra? Kyra, open the door! Please, Kyra!" Alice called. I pressed a wad of toilet paper to my cut and let my skirt fall over it, pressing my hand against my thigh through the skirt, holding the paper in place. To keep up pretences I flushed the toilet then opened the door, cocking my head to the side and looking at Alice questioningly. Her expression was worried and afraid. "Kyra, what happened? Where are you hurt?" the girl asked and fear shot through me. How could she know? "I can smell the blood, Kyra. What happened?" Her eyes darted to the pin, lying on the floor. Shit, I must have dropped it. There was a little blood on it. She narrowed her eyes before dragging me back into the cubicle and propping the door open. "Show me. My father is a doctor, I can help fix it." I didn't move. "Please, Kyra, I just want to help." Who could refuse that voice, the pained look in her eyes? Apparently not me. I didn't even realise what I was doing until I'd hoisted my skirt halfway up. It was too late to stop by then so I raised it the rest of the way, just on the injured side, and tried not to flinch when she hissed. Her fingers, surprisingly cold, removed the wad of toilet paper. Blood pooled out of the wound again and she shook her head, placing new paper over it. "Come with me, I'll get you a proper bandage." She didn't give me a choice, taking me by the hand and dragging me to the first aid room. Nobody was there. She stealthily slipped inside, stole a bandage and led me into a nearby room that was empty. I tried not to show how her touch made my head spin and my skin tingle, as she took off the makeshift bandage and applied the new one with professional precision. She quickly threw the old bandage away and, almost as if on a whim, gave me a very brief hug before taking me back to class.

Angela escorted me to my next class, oblivious to the concerned look Alice gave me as I followed like a little sheep dog. I very deliberately avoided meeting Alice's gaze, ashamed that she had caught me and fearful that she would tell on me. On the way to my next class, religion, Angela was mostly silent, only making the occasional comment if we passed something interesting. The classroom was big and airy with about thirty desks and a raised section at the front of the class. Religion was taught by a twig of a man with a deep voice completely at odds with his appearance.  
"Ok, today we'll be covering Existentialism. Anyone know what that is?" I tuned out, studying the bizarre way in which the lines in the wooden desk intersected one another. The teacher had barely begun introducing existentialism when a bronze haired boy entered the class.  
"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Marks." The boy said politely while scanning the room. Looking straight at me, the boy walked over and sat beside me. His eyes were the same honey colour as Alice's and his skin was just as pale.  
"Don't let it happen again, Mr. Cullen." Cullen? Ok so the similarities in appearance wasn't coincidental, they were related. The boy shook his head and bent over his book studiously. I was exhausted from the drama of the last class so I decided to rest a little. I folded my arms on the wooden desk and lay my head on them, drifting off almost immediately.  
"Miss Storm, do you find this class boring?" I jolted to full awareness, panic flooding through me as I heard my name. Carefully keeping my eyes lowered to the desk I bit my lip and waited for the teacher's anger to ebb away. "Well, Miss Storm?" Uh oh, apparently this teacher was going to demand an answer. Luckily there were some kids in this class who had been in the previous one so they knew the drill.  
"Mr. Marks? Kyra, uh, doesn't talk. I don't know if she even _can_!" Angela said hesitantly. Mr. Marks made an impatient noise.  
"She can talk; otherwise she'd be writing something or using sign language. She just doesn't want to." This teacher was observant, I'll give him that, but that wasn't going to make me answer him. Thankfully he seemed to grow bored and decided to move on with the lesson. I made sure not to put my head down again though, in case he pounced again. A couple of times during the lesson I noticed the boy in the next seat looking at me. When the bell went the boy stood, collected his books and waited. Angela came over and looked at him funny as she prepared to show me the way to my locker.  
"Hello Angela. I thought I would take Kyra to her locker, if you don't mind." The boy had a beautiful voice, but nowhere near as nice as Alice's. Both of them had voices that didn't belong in this world.  
"Oh, um, sure, I mean, I guess that's ok. It's locker 128, over by the art class." Angela stuttered and the boy smiled and nodded politely. I finally managed to gather my books up and the Cullen boy walked me out of the room, matching my pace.  
"I'm Edward Cullen, just so you know. I believe you met my sister, Alice, in her English class." His tone told me he knew what had happened. "She wants you to sit with us in the cafeteria. I'll take you there after your locker if you'd like." He seemed to assume I would and I wasn't exactly in a position to refuse, despite the fear that flooded through me at the idea. "This is your locker." Edward pointed to a silver locker, one in a huge row, that had 128 stenciled onto it with black paint. I quickly used the key to unlock it and dump my books before closing it. "Don't you have food?" He asked, beginning to walk away. Apparently he didn't need an answer because he didn't wait for one. I followed meekly, wondering how I was going to get out of this mess.

The cafeteria was crowded and noisy, even though it was only a twenty minute break between two classes, not the one hour break I'd been told came later. Students were running all over the place, a couple throwing a ball back and forth over everyone's heads. Edward led me to one of the corners where a group of teenagers sat, each as pale as Edward and Alice.  
"Kyra, this is Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie. Everyone, this is Kyra Storm, Alice's new friend." The blonde girl, Rosalie, looked particularly interested.  
"Alice! You never mentioned a new friend." She said, turning to the black haired girl who was sitting at the edge of the group. Alice shrugged and smiled, patting the seat beside her. Nervously I edged over to it and tried to sit down as inconspicuously as possible. Not an easy thing to do with four people watching. It was a few seconds before I realised Edward had disappeared. Jasper, the blonde male, must have noticed me looking confused.  
"Edward's gone to get food." He told me and I blushed, embarrassed at having been caught looking for him.  
"You're quiet, are you always like that or is it newbie nerves?" Rosalie asked and I froze, not sure how to deal with the question. I didn't want to seem rude but I knew answering was too difficult at this stage. I settled for giving her a scared look. For the millionth time in my life I was saved by someone explaining the situation.  
"Rose, Kyra doesn't talk." Alice said and Rose looked surprised.  
"Like ever?" Emmett, the huge guy, asked and Alice shook her head.  
"I don't think so."  
"Can you talk? Like are you physically able to?" He asked me and I widened my eyes. How the heck was I meant to reply to that?  
"Yes, she can. Alice said she doesn't talk, not she _can't_ talk." Said Edward and I jumped, not having heard him approach. He held two trays but everyone at the table already had one. I was mortified when he pushed one of the trays to me, smiling in a friendly manner. Hands shaking I fumbled around in my pocket for some money and held it out to him. Everyone laughed and he shook his head.  
"Keep it, Kyra. My treat." Edward assured me. Alice reached over and opened the drink, holding it out to me.  
"Here, try this." She said. I took the drink, taking a small sip before putting it down on the tray, awkwardly aware of everyone staring. Noticing my apprehension they all delved into conversations, except for Alice who prodded my food with one finger, screwing her nose up in distaste. I noticed she hadn't touched her own food.  
"I hate cafeteria food. It makes me feel sick." She told me, conversationally, while opening a packet of crisps that was on my tray and handing me one of the chips. This girl was definitely strange. Nice, but strange. She seemed to have completely forgotten what had happened earlier. That or she was trying to lull me into a false sense of security before pouncing.  
"Can I see your timetable, Kyra?" Edward asked suddenly. I pulled it out of my pocket and showed him. Alice strained to see it.  
"You've got art next with Alice, then history, lunch, biology with me and finally math." He told me. I had no idea if I should be elated or devastated. Plus side, more time with Alice and she was very attractive, one of those people that others tend to gravitate towards. Down side, Alice knew my secret.

I struggled through art. It was hell and there was no point pretending otherwise. I was desperate and Alice kept a close eye on me the entire time, even following me when I wandered around the room looking for charcoal. By the time the lesson finished I was ready to go insane. Alice had French, which was in the opposite direction, but one of the other students said they'd take me to class. As we passed the bathroom I stopped and the girl rolled her eyes.  
"Fine, I'll wait out here. Don't be long." She said. I bolted inside, glad Alice wasn't there. Breathing heavily I dug around in my pocket, finding a scrap of paper, some money and a safety pin. Hmm, the safety pin would do. Unfortunately I misjudged how sharp it was and before I knew it blood was over half my leg and hands. Shit, this wasn't good. Next second there was a sharp knock on the door. It was déjà vu.  
"Shit, Kyra, open the door!" Alice called. How the hell did she know? Realising that I really did need help I decided to open the door, I could deal with the lecture as long as the bleeding stopped. I unlocked the door to find Alice holding a cell phone in her hand. "Shit." She said, seeing the blood. She turned away and took a deep breath, dialing a number on her phone. With her free hand she ripped off a bunch of toilet paper and pressed it onto my wound. "Hold it." She told me as someone on the other end answered. "Carlisle! Are you at work? Is there a first aid kit at home? This girl at school is hurt and I'm not going to be able to stop the bleeding. No, we can't go to the school nurse and she won't be able to do anything anyway. Well if Edward and I bring her home can you fix it? I'll explain later. Thank you." I only heard half the conversation but by the sounds of it I was going to see her doctor father. Alice scooped me up in her arms and walked quickly out of the bathrooms, heading to the parking lot. We were almost there when Edward appeared, his expression stressed. I was finding it hard to stay focused on what was going on.  
"Kyra, look at Alice. Don't look away from her, ok?" Edward told me. I fixed my eyes on hers and struggled not to let them fade to blackness. I felt myself be placed in a car and vaguely worried about the leather interior. Alice stroked my hair as she pressed on the wound.  
"Silly girl. Don't worry, Carlisle will fix it for you." She promised me and I smiled a little at that. Nobody could fix it. The wound, yes, but not me. Edward turned and looked at me from the drivers' seat as if he heard my thoughts.

The rest of the drive was a blur. I only managed to focus again when Alice gently lifted me out of the car and headed towards a huge white house in the forest. The door flung open and a blonde man came running out.  
"Jesus!" He said, seeing the wound. "What happened?" We were travelling quickly into the house and Alice lay me on a couch that had towels placed on it to catch the blood.  
"The genius thought it would be clever to cut herself. I already fixed one up today but I wasn't in time to stop this one." Alice said as a brunette woman came over, handing a large white box to the man I assume was Carlisle.  
"She won't answer, she doesn't talk." Edward said abruptly. I guess I must have zoned out and missed part of the conversation because his comment seemed out of place to me.  
"Ok, it won't need stitches, these strips will do. And a nice bandage. May as well change the other one while we're at it. Thank you Esme." Carlisle smiled at the woman, taking the bandages from her and throwing the old one out. The lady disappeared, coming back a minute later with a glass of water which she handed me. I couldn't form the words to thank her but I could tell she understood. The water was cool on my throat and helped me focus a little.  
"Don't get up yet." Alice warned, pressing her cool hand against me. Carlisle looked at me seriously, crouching so he was at my height.  
"Listen, Kyra, I have to ask you to give me anything sharp you have, or anything you could use to hurt yourself." That wasn't a problem, it was easy to find new things and if giving him the ones I had now would keep him off my back then whatever. Edward frowned at me and I was once again struck by the unnerving feeling that he could hear my thoughts. Shaking it off, I mutely dug in my pockets, pulling out the safety pin. "Is that all?" He asked, letting Alice take it from me. It was all and apparently my stillness was enough to tell him that because he didn't question me further. Carlisle and Esme left the room, followed by Edward who paused at the door and called something back I'm reasonably sure I wasn't meant to hear.  
"I hope she's worth it." Alice just smiled as she took my hand, carefully moving my skirt so it wasn't hiked up anymore.  
"This is going to sound really weird, but I feel a strong urge to protect you. I hardly even know you yet it's killing me to see what you do to yourself, to see the obvious pain you're in." Alice murmured quietly to me. I lowered my eyes so I didn't have to see the sorrow in hers.  
"I'm sorry." I whispered my voice hoarse from disuse. I froze, stunned. Alice acted as if nothing unusual had happened, thank god.  
"Don't be sorry. If you want I can help you beat it. If not I guess that's your decision." I contemplated her words. She seemed to mean it now, but what about later? What about when she realised I was just another troubled teen with no future? Someone like her didn't need to be spending time with someone like me. She interpreted my silence correctly. "Listen Kyra, we all have our issues. Nobody's perfect. Seriously, some days I'm not fit to be around people. But that's ok because my family is here to help me. Who's there to help you? Mr. and Mrs. Yorkshire? I doubt they realise just how special you are. Not like I do." Alice stopped, her expression becoming worried. It seemed like I wasn't the only one to lose control and say things I normally wouldn't, although in my case that was talking at all. I looked at my hands, deep in thought. Finally I nodded and Alice sighed with relief. Before I realised what was happening she'd wrapped me in a quick hug. Carlisle reentered the room.  
"Alice, we should take Kyra back to her house. I'm sure she's exhausted." It wasn't even lunch time at school but I _was_ exhausted and I was pretty sure Mrs. Yorkshire would be home to let me in. Suddenly a thought struck me and I looked at Carlisle, panicked. "It's ok, Kyra, we'll tell her you were sick in the bathroom so Alice brought you to me instead of the nurse." Relieved, I stood and followed him with Alice at my side.

_It was dark; I could hardly make out the vague shapes around me. I reached out and felt a brick wall barely a foot in front of me. Running my hand down the wall I felt the dirt floor. Panicking I tried to get to my feet but couldn't fully stand, something was holding me back. My hand automatically flew to my waist. The metal chain was attached to a large ring around my waist, the chain only two or three feet long, preventing me from standing. A scraping noise came from a few metres to my left and a terrible scream rose up into the darkness._

"Kyra! Jesus, calm down girl!" Someone hushed me, cold hands taking mine. A lamp flickered on and my room came into focus. I was sitting on my bed, heart racing and fear flooding my veins, with Alice Cullen holding my hands. "Are you alright?" She asked anxiously. I nodded, freeing one of my hands and pushing my hair out of my face. Alice was sleeping over. I'd just finished my second week at Forks High School and Alice had decided it was time for a sleep over. She had watched me carefully ever since that first day and although I slipped up at least once a day she never scolded me, she just helped clean up and removed the item. Slowly I was getting better; I'd only needed Carlisle's help three more times which was a record for me. Usually I was being patched up at least three times a week, back before I'd moved to Forks. "What happened?" Alice asked, sounding unusually alert for 2 am on a Saturday morning. I shook my head, refusing to let my thoughts go back to the nightmare. The door flung open and Mrs. Yorkshire came running in.  
"What happened? Is everyone ok? Who screamed?" She asked frantically, Mr. Yorkshire steps behind holding a baseball bat.  
"Its fine, nothing happened. Kyra had a nightmare, that's all." Alice assured them while I stared with wide blue eyes, alarmed at the intrusion.  
"Oh. Oh, ok then." Mrs. Yorkshire and her husband retreated awkwardly, closing the door behind them. Alice turned back to look at me, her honey eyes narrowing as she took in my unnerved expression.  
"I wish you'd trust me enough to tell me, Kyra." She whispered, taking my hand.  
"I do trust you. It's just hard." I replied hesitantly. It was still rare for me to talk, and it was never to anyone other than Alice, but I was trying. She smiled and kissed my forehead.  
"I know." She told me, settling back down onto the mattress beside my bed. Slowly I drifted off again and this time my sleep was undisturbed.

It was nearly 7.30 when I woke again, the morning sun shining through my window. Alice was gone, her bed made but her overnight bag sitting on the blanket. She must have gone to get changed. I slipped out of bed and quickly changed, padding out of the room to hunt down the gorgeous girl. I found her downstairs watching the morning news with Mr. Yorkshire.  
"Morning!" she cried, jumping to her feet. "We're going to my house today, Esme's been nagging at me to bring you over."  
"Esme?" Mr. Yorkshire asked curiously, not being on first name basis with the Cullens, other than Alice.  
"Esme is my adoptive mother. She and Carlisle took Edward, Emmett and I in after our parents died in a car crash two years ago. Jasper and Rosalie are Carlisle's sister's children who moved in just after us when his sister died of cancer." Alice explained as if this was completely ordinary.  
"Oh. Sorry." Was all Mr. Yorkshire could say, shifting awkwardly in his seat. He found it difficult dealing with less than perfect situations and it was painfully obvious to me that he had only gone along with the foster idea because his wife wanted to do it. He was constantly on edge around me, finding in difficult to know what to say and usually pretending I wasn't there. I wondered if this news about Alice's family would alter his interactions with her.  
"Oh, don't be. I love living with Carlisle and Esme, and they adore Kyra." She smiled fondly at me. "Speaking of, isn't it time for breakfast if you two are leaving soon?" My foster father said and Alice agreed, although I could see the dread in her eyes.  
"I, um, don't eat away from home. I have dietary problems so Carlisle has special food for me; he's a doctor you know." She explained quickly. My foster father's aversion to things that weren't the way they should be caused him to nod abruptly.  
"Yes, I know." He said shortly, turning his attention back to the TV. I wandered into the kitchen and gulped down a yogurt before running upstairs and fixing my teeth and hair.  
"Ready?" Alice asked and I nodded. She pulled out her phone and rang someone.  
"Hey, Esme, can you please come and pick up Kyra and I? Thank you. Love you." I thought it was sweet the way Alice tacked that on to the end of the conversation.

Twenty minutes later Esme pulled up in front of the Cullen's house. Alice and I climbed out of the car and followed her inside. For a while Alice and I played chess, she won but only just, and then Edward challenged her to a match. While I was watching Rosalie came over.  
"Can I talk to you?" She asked me. Surprised, I nodded, alarmed by the look of fear that crossed Alice's face as she glared at her sister. I followed Rosalie upstairs into her room, sitting nervously on the edge of her bed.  
"Kyra, what I'm going to tell you will come as a surprise, but I have to tell you because you need to know and Alice is too chicken to tell you herself." The gorgeous blonde took a deep breath before blurting the next bit. "Everything you know about our family history is a lie. Jasper and I aren't twins, we're not even related. Same for Alice, Emmett and Edward. We're actually vampires who have been living together for about 50 years. Oh, and Alice is head over heels in love with you and will likely kick my ass for telling you this." Rosalie grinned. I was stunned. The Cullens were vampires and Alice was in love with me? Whoa! For a second I began to freak out but then I realised that, if they had wanted to kill me they had had numerous opportunities. Instead, they had bandaged me up and looked after me. The part I had the most trouble with wasn't the whole vampire thing but Alice being in love with me. At that moment the door burst open and Edward and Alice rushed in. Alice looked ready to kill but Edward held out his hand, holding her back.  
"Wait." He told her, staring at me intently. "She doesn't care that we're vampires. She's not afraid." He sounded surprised and the look on Alice's face told me she was stunned. Suddenly she narrowed her eyes again, glaring viciously at Rosalie.  
"But Rose told her _everything_." Alice said angrily and Rose shook her head.  
"Not everything, I was only talking to her for a second. Even I can't reveal over a century of stories in two minutes." Rose smirked and I couldn't help but laugh. Alice turned to me incredulously.  
"You really don't care?" She asked and I shook my head, getting to my feet and walking over to her.  
"She wants to know if Rosalie was telling the truth when she said you love her." Edward said and I stared at him in surprise. "I can read minds." He explained. Aha, I had thought so! That got a smile from the mind-reading vampire.  
"Yes, she was telling the truth." Alice braced herself for rejection, holding her breath and tensing. For a brief second I stood still, my mind spinning, before I threw myself forward and wrapped my arms around the beautiful vampire. I felt her arms circle around me gently and for the first time I marveled at the incredible restraint she was demonstrating.

Monday morning finally rolled around. After returning home from the Cullens' house on Saturday Mrs. Yorkshire had informed me that my social worker, Miss Adams, was planning on visiting on Monday, so we spent all of Sunday cleaning the house from top to bottom. Becky had to spend almost an hour rehearsing lines with her mother while I got to rest, one of the perks of being mute. Technically I wasn't mute any longer, just extremely quiet, but as I had broken my silence only to Alice, as far as the Yorkshire's and Miss Adams were concerned I was still mute. Spending the day without Alice and fretting over Miss Adams' impending visit proved to be detrimental and I suffered a minor relapse although nowhere near as bad as my first day of school. Still, I was anxious to be reunited with my vampire. I had just finished getting ready for school when Miss Adams turned up, smile in place.  
"Oh, darling, how have you been going?" She asked me with a little coo in her voice, like I was two. I simply stared at her with wide eyes as if alarmed, then bolted from the room for a book I'd forgotten upstairs. My return downstairs was perfectly timed, resulting in Becky and me reaching the living room at the same time. Miss Adams was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Yorkshire, but seeing Becky and I she quickly finished the conversation and turned to us.  
"I hope you don't mind but I need to visit your school and I thought it would be nice if we all went together, what do you think?" She asked of Becky, having been told by my foster parents that I was still not speaking. Becky shrugged indifferently and made her way to the door, me following as usual. It wasn't a long walk to school but Becky liked to be there early so she could catch up on the goss before first class.

Miss Adams was slightly irritated as she followed us into the school yard.  
"God, I _had_ to wear new heels today, didn't I?" She moaned. I was unsympathetic. Becky smirked a little before turning to me.  
"I'm gonna go find Angela to ask about Trig, will you be ok?" I don't know why she bothered asking, it was the same routine every morning. As a way of response I looked around for the pale angel I knew would be waiting for me. Becky followed my gaze when it settled on Alice.  
"Oh, ok then. You'll be fine. Have fun." She grinned. Miss Adams looked a little confused.  
"Do you not stay with Kyra during school?" Her pen was ready to jot down Becky's response. Alarmed, Becky shook her head.  
"Uh, no, we run with different crowds. It's ok though, her friends are _really_ protective of her." Becky said quickly. Miss Adams nodded, writing it down. While my social worker was distracted Becky bolted. Resigned to the inevitable, I led Miss Adams over to the Cullens, who were waiting for me by their cars. I saw Miss Adams widen her eyes when she saw the silver Volvo and red Ferrari. To me they were just cars, pretty, but basically a heap of metal that drove fast.  
"Hello, I'm Nancy Adams, Kyra's social worker." She introduced herself, holding out her hand with a smile. Rosalie, the only one in gloves, shook her hand while I slipped over to stand next to Alice. The other vampires moved to stand around me, almost as if they were protecting me from Miss Adams. The thought brought a smile to my face.  
"What's so funny?" Alice asked me. Edward, sensing that I wasn't going to reply with Miss Adams so close, leaned over to Alice and told her what I'd been thinking, so low that even I couldn't hear despite my close proximity. Alice smiled, sliding her arm around my shoulders. I instinctively moved closer and let my arm rest on her waist. It was good that Alice and I were basically the same height.  
"I'm sorry but I don't know your names. Do you mind?" Miss Adams asked, prepping to record their details.  
"I'm Rosalie Hale and this is my twin brother Jasper." Rose said, gesturing to Jasper with a smile. There was a short pause while Nancy Adams wrote that down then she looked around expectantly.  
"I'm Emmett Cullen and Edward's my brother on the days I claim him." Emmett grinned and Edward whacked him gently. Nancy couldn't help but smile at their antics before looking questioningly at Alice, looking slightly surprised when she noticed the way Alice and I were standing.  
"Sorry about those two, sometimes I don't know what I did to end up with two idiot brothers. I'm Alice, Kyra's girlfriend." The words sent a shiver up my spin and spread warmth in my heart. I smiled happily while Nancy looked startled.  
"Girlfriend? Like friends or?" She asked and Alice pretended to be confused.  
"Well, yes we're friends obviously, but we're a little more than just friends." Alice replied.  
"Okay, so anyway how do you think Kyra is going?" Nancy queried. It was a dumb question, open to any number of responses.  
"She's doing well, I guess. It took a while but we're pretty good at reading her now so it's pretty easy to work out what she's trying to say." Edward said and I almost laughed. Yeah, he was very good at reading people, so good he literally knew what people were thinking. He smiled at me and I almost poked my tongue out at him. "Like just then, she was amused." The show-off added and Nancy glanced at me, confusion registering on her face.  
"What about school? Has she had trouble adjusting to life at high school?" The vampires all looked surprised and I felt shame and horror creep over me.  
"Um, no, I don't think she has. I'm sorry but I think these questions are better suited for one of the teachers. The reception is just through those doors." Edward said smoothly, pointing to the doors behind us. Nancy smiled and thanked them for their time, disappearing through the white doors. I cringed when the five vampires looked at me questioningly.  
"Kyra, have you been to high school before this?" Rosalie asked when everyone else stayed silent. For a second I just stood, staring at the ground hoping I would disappear or the question would be forgotten. Everyone waited for a reply. Slowly I shook my head, tears running down my pale face. Alice gently brushed them away, pulling me into a hug.  
"Hey, hey, it's ok! Don't cry." She murmured, stroking my hair. I clutched her closer to me, taking comfort from her cool, strong body. I was saved from further public humiliation by the bell.

In English we were put in pairs and told to read and discuss a number of short stories the teacher handed out. Alice and I paired up but the look on her face told me we weren't discussing the stories.  
"Where were you before moving here?" Alice asked. There were a number of responses I could have given but I didn't feel like joking and I don't think she would have appreciated it. Everyone around us was concentrating on their own conversations so it was pretty safe to talk. Sensing my apprehension, Alice moved closer so that I didn't have to speak loudly. I took a deep breath, shaking in fear as I considered the words I was about to say. What if Alice hated me for it? I knew, though, that I couldn't chicken out. I knew Alice's secret and, compared with that, mine was nothing. I wasn't hiding something like that, just the past.  
"I was in a psychiatric hospital." I whispered, shame filling me. Alice hugged me, not seeming at all repelled.  
"You know, some of the most amazing people spent time in those places; Sylvia Plath, Susanna Kaysen and Britney Spears." I raised my eyebrow at the last name and Alice giggled.  
"Ok, so Britney Spears isn't exactly amazing but still. You get my point." I nodded, thankful that Alice wasn't freaking out about having a crazy girlfriend.

At lunchtime the vampires and I made our way to our normal table. Once there Emmett grinned at me and I knew straight away I was in trouble.  
"So, hear that you're a bit of a crazy kid, hey." He seemed to be having difficulty controlling his amusement. I scowled. "How long did they lock you up for?" He asked and Alice hit him.  
"Jesus, Emmett, would it kill you to be tactful?" The huge male nodded sincerely and I giggled nervously. I looked at Edward, hoping he would answer for me. The second I thought my answer, and that I wanted him to say the words for me, he began to talk.  
"She was in for just over 2 years and they only let her out because she was making no progress. Foster care was the next idea meant to make her talk." Edward said and Rosalie laughed.  
"Well she's never gonna talk if you do it for her." She grinned. She was right, naturally. As long as Edward would talk for me it was unlikely that I would talk, unless I did something about it now. Problem was I had nothing to say. I wanted my first public words to be meaningful, or witty, not something stupid like 'what's up'.  
"Like you don't talk enough for everyone." Emmett teased Rose and she swatted him playfully. Just then a tall, blonde jock came over with a pile of leaflets and a cocky smile.  
"Hey, guys, look I'm holding a Halloween party next week and my mate bet I couldn't get you to come. Will you?" The jock asked. Emmett smirked at Alice.  
"And you think _I_ lack tact?" He asked. She poked her tongue out at him.  
"We'll think about it." Edward told the guy, taking the leaflet the jock held out. The guy left, moving back to his group of laughing friends.  
"Are we going to celebrate Halloween this year?" Jasper asked. "It's our first holiday with Kyra." He added, causing me to glance up and go red.  
"Yes, we'll celebrate! It's going to be so much fun! We have to work out costumes!" Alice exclaimed practically bouncing in her seat.  
"Rose doesn't need to dress up; she's scary enough as it." I chimed in before biting my lip, horrified. Emmett burst out laughing, slapping the table. Almost immediately everyone else began to laugh, including the butt of my joke. Relieved, I allowed myself a small smile although I was still waiting for the pretty blonde to rip my throat out. When they stopped laughing I tensed up, ready for the onslaught.  
"Who knew you had a sense of humour?" Rosalie smiled and I knew she held no grudge. Her smile disappeared. "But for that, I get to choose your outfit." I choked on my Pepsi, staring at her like the world was about to end. Nobody mentioned my sudden speech although Alice's arm tightened around me just a little as she tried to suppress her joy. I tried to follow the rest of the conversation but the arm around me was a little distracting and I quickly lost the thread of the conversation.

Nancy was in my next class, math, when Edward and I walked through the door accompanied by Alice. My math teacher was away and the substitute was so old and senile that he was having difficulty remembering what year it was. Edward led the way to our seats at the back, Alice following even though she wasn't in this class. Typically, Nancy jumped on the bandwagon and made a beeline to the back row. Edward settled in his chair, taking my books and placing them on his desk so Alice could perch on mine, while I edged into my seat and eyed Nancy warily.  
"Hello. Enjoy your day?" Alice smiled at the social worker, who was looking like she'd seen better days.  
"You have a very nice school." Replied Nancy diplomatically.  
"You'd make a great politician if you answer everything that way." Edward told her and Nancy looked like she had no idea how to react. She settled for pretending she hadn't heard the comment.  
"I spoke to some of your teachers, Kyra, and apparently you aren't talking in class yet." Nancy frowned at me and I cowered in my seat. What did she expect, an overnight change? "You realise that is very easy for us to put you back in the hospital." Oh god, I didn't want to go back there. I hadn't minded it while I was there, it was so much better than what I was used to, but now I had a life here in Forks, with the Cullens. I didn't want to leave that behind just because I had trouble talking! Edward spoke up.  
"Um, Miss Adams, can I say something?" He asked and she nodded with a small smile. It was obvious she was taken away by their beauty.  
"Kyra _does_ talk. Not often, but she does. I've only heard her once, but she apparently talks to Alice occasionally. And look at the way she and Alice were this morning, that's a far cry from how Kyra was two weeks ago. You can't say she hasn't made progress just because it's not exactly how you wanted it." Edward finished his mini rant, folding his arms and looking Nancy in the eyes. I was grateful no other students had arrived yet and the substitute hadn't realised we were in the room.  
"That's all very well, Edward, but I don't think you realise the extent of Kyra's problems." Nancy replied firmly. Alice glanced at Edward and he nodded to her. I realised she must have asked a question in her head.  
"We know she hurts herself. Kyra and I have a little agreement about that. We're working on it and she's doing better. Our father, Dr. Cullen, fixes her up when she needs it and she's starting to come for help before it rather than after." Alice said, taking my hand in hers. Nancy got a peculiar look on her face; happy, surprised and defeated, all at once.  
"Ok, fine, I'll put in a recommendation that you stay here, Kyra, _if_ I hear you talk. It doesn't have to be anything big, but I need to hear it." Alice squeezed my hand and smiled at me while my mind spun, trying to think of something to say and struggling to get the courage to say anything.  
"What's Rosalie going to make me wear for Halloween?" I asked finally, choosing something that would put one of my fears to rest as well as illustrate to Nancy just how firmly the Cullens had wound their grip around me. Edward and Alice both burst out laughing.  
"Oh it's going to be great! At the moment she's considering making you be a ninja." Alice gasped between fits of giggles.  
"And she's going to make Emmett be _Superman_!" Edward laughed. I had no idea who Superman was but it was clearly amusing. Even Nancy cracked a smile at that.  
"Who's Superman?" I asked hesitantly. There was instant silence, the vampires and Nancy staring at me in shock.  
"You don't know Superman?" Nancy looked like someone had just told her vampires were real. I shook my head, my brown hair swinging gently from side to side.  
"Ok, you are coming over tonight and watching it." Alice announced. "I'll make popcorn and everything." Edward groaned but I smiled. I liked popcorn. I'd only had it once, but I remembered it had tasted good.

After school Nancy cleared it with my foster parents for me to go to the Cullens, although we all knew it would be fine because Mr. Yorkshire hated having me around and Mrs. Yorkshire never said no. Becky scowled jealously when Esme arrived to pick me up, Alice in tow.  
"God, how is it that you've even managed to get their parents to fall in love with you?" Becky asked when Esme embraced me as a way of greeting. I smiled and shrugged, feeling Alice slip her hand into mine. Becky's eyes widened, seeing our linked hands.  
"Like what you see?" Alice asked coyly, noticing Becky's expression. The brunette went bright red and stuttered before bolting into the house.  
"You really shouldn't tease the poor thing like that, Alice." Scolded Esme although I could see she was trying not to laugh. Mrs. Yorkshire came out at that moment to see me off. Like her daughter, she noticed that Alice and I were holding hands.  
"Hello, Esme, how are you?" Mrs. Yorkshire greeted her politely. Esme smiled.  
"Very well thank you, and yourself?" Apparently this was going to be one of those scripted conversations from The Stepford Wives.  
"I'm fine." The pair moved to the side a little, indicating that the conversation was meant to be private. Although I could no longer hear, Alice could and she repeated the conversation for me, although not word for word.  
"Your foster mother just asked if we're dating, and Esme said yes. Now she's asking if we are supervised at my house. Esme is assuring her that if anything were to happen she would know. She would, too, you know. Esme has exceptionally good hearing even for us." Alice said as the two came back over. Mrs. Yorkshire gave me a knowing look.  
"I expect you to behave, Kyra. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen have been kind enough to welcome you into their home, so don't you abuse it, alright?" I nodded mutely; petrified of the look in her eyes that screamed there would be trouble later. The second she indicated that I was free to go, Alice and I bolted to the car, followed at a more polite pace by Esme.  
"Well, she's a piece of work." Esme laughed, pulling out of the drive way.

**Dodgy place to finish, I know, but there will be more chapters and this one was getting a little too long. Please review and tell me what you think!!!**


	2. Freak Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Cullens or anyone else mentioned in the original Twilight books. Steph Meyer, if you are reading this feel free to give me the rights to Twilight for my birthday. You know you want to. **

The car ride to the Cullens' mansion was uneventful; Esme and Alice chattered about their plans for the day while I listened silently, my hand in Alice's. Seeing the large white mansion had the same effect on me as it always did; I was awed and felt underdressed even though I knew the house and its inhabitants fairly well. It was just one of those things that happened every time. Esme jumped out of the car and reappeared at my side, holding the door open with a huge smile plastered on her face.  
"Oh, Kyra, I'm so excited!" she squealed and I half expected her to jump up and down. At her words the front door flew open and before I could blink the entire family of vampires was standing around with excited grins.  
"Hey nutter, long time no see." Emmett grinned and Alice threw my drink bottle at him. There was a loud crack, I flinched and looked worriedly at Emmett, hoping he hadn't killed my drink bottle. It was in his hand, unharmed, and he was staring at it distastefully. "A drink bottle, Alice?" He asked, causing her to giggle.  
"It was there." Smirked my angel, slipping her arm around my waist. "Are you ready for Cullen Prank Day?" she asked. I froze, my eyes widening and horrible images flashing through my mind of humiliating pranks. I was flattered that they were trying to include me, however, and I realised that Alice would have foreseen my answer so the fact that she'd brought me along indicated that I would indeed participate and nothing _too_ dreadful would happen. Before I could talk myself out of it, I nodded my head.  
"S-sure." I stammered. My voice was still a little rough from disuse but it was getting better and I didn't need quite as many throat lozenges to soothe the pain. Carlisle held a hand up to stop the vampires from getting too excited straight away.  
"Ok, rules." He announced and the majority of the family groaned. "No pranks that could get someone hurt, and by someone we all know I mean Kyra." I winced; he _had_ to bring me into this, didn't he? "And no destroying the house. Other than that just follow the basic rule: no revealing what we are to humans." Carlisle finished.  
"Oh, and this year we're working in pairs seeing as we have the right number for it." Esme added cheerfully and the mood brightened as the vampires took in the new possibilities.  
"I'm with the human!" shouted Rosalie before anyone could speak. There was a short pause as everyone stared at Alice and me, waiting for a reaction. Honestly, I would have preferred to be with Alice but I didn't mind pairing up with Rosalie. Alice smiled and shrugged.  
"Fine, I'm with Edward!" she quickly announced, claiming the mind-reader who looked amused but agreed.  
"Esme!" shouted Emmett, which surprised me.  
"He's doing it so nobody is with their soul mate." Edward told me and I smiled. It _would_ be interesting to see everyone pranking their forever partner. Carlisle and Jasper teamed up good naturedly; neither paying any attention to the fact that nobody had chosen them. Rosalie looked at me questioningly.  
"Can I carry you? We need to go somewhere where nobody can hear us planning and, no offence, but human speed is slow." I smiled at her explanation.  
"Sure, Rose." I agreed. The words were barely out of my mouth before I was on her back, my arms wrapped nervously around her and the world flying past me at an insane speed. I shut my eyes, feeling slightly sick.  
"Um, Kyra, we've stopped." Rosalie told me suddenly and I blushed.  
"I knew that." I informed her, dropping to the ground and looking around. We were in a small clearing, not even really a clearing just an area that trees hadn't grown in as much.  
"Ok, any ideas?" Rosalie asked me. We'd played pranks in the hospital, well other people had and I had watched, but I doubted they were the kind of pranks the vampires would be interested in.  
"Not really." I told her and she looked surprised.  
"Didn't you ever play pranks on people at school? At home? In the shops?" she seemed astonished. I felt the blood leave my face as I imagined playing a joke on the person I had lived with until I was about 13. "Are you ok?" Rosalie asked worriedly. With some effort I pushed the thoughts out of my head and forced a smile.  
"I'm fine." I assured her; thankful that it wasn't Edward, Jasper or Alice I was teamed with right now. Rose looked at me doubtfully but let it go.  
"Ok, well there are lots of things we can do, we could hide Alice's Gucci or steal Edward's piano." Rose suggested and a brilliant idea hit me.  
"Let's do _nothing_." I grinned. Rosalie looked at me blankly.  
"Where's the fun in that?" she asked and I felt my smile grow.  
"Think about it, everyone is going to expect us to have done _something_ and they'll get paranoid, they'll constantly be on the lookout trying to work out what we've done. That in itself is the perfect prank." I explained and was pleased to see Rose smile.  
"Remind me _never_ to mess with you." Rosalie told me and I smirked.

About an hour later we met the rest of the vampires back at the house, ready for the day to begin. Everyone else had spent the hour busily preparing their pranks while Rosalie and I enjoyed a nice sister-bonding hour. When Rose sat on the couch, opposite Edward, a farting noise erupted and everyone fell about in laughter. Even Rose couldn't help but giggle at the crude but effective joke.  
"Ok, who put that there?" she asked and, typically, Emmett raised his hand.  
"I tried to stop him." Esme assured Rosalie.  
"That's your joke, Emmett? I'm ashamed!" Rosalie told her soul mate, who shook his head.  
"No, our joke is a multi-part one; every aspect of it aimed at general humiliation." Explained Emmett while both Edward and Alice giggled insanely, probably at visions Alice had of people falling prey to Emmett's prank. Esme looked at everyone apologetically.  
"I'm truly sorry." She said, beginning to cry tearlessly. Everyone looked alarmed, coming over and attempting to hug the crying vampire.  
"Esme, it's ok! Hush, its fine, Esme." She was coddled and hugged and stroked by everyone as we attempted to calm her down. All of a sudden she burst out laughing and everyone took a step back, stunned.  
"Uh, Esme?" Edward asked uncertainly. Amidst Esme's laughter I noticed Rosalie stiffen, raise her head and stare at Edward, who met her gaze. Both smiled and I swear if they could have they'd have been blushing. Oh. My. God!  
"Guys?" I squeaked and everyone bar Rosalie and Edward looked at me. I gestured to the pair, my eyes wide.  
"Rose?" Emmett asked gruffly, stepping up to her side. Rosalie smiled sweetly at him but kept glancing back at Edward.  
"Yes, Emmett?" she replied angelically, unable to help another look at Edward who was still motionless, eyes on her.  
"W-why are you staring at Edward?" Emmett sounded hesitant, unwilling to ask the question but knowing he had to. Carlisle exploded into fits of laughter, struggling to control himself and regain his calm demeanor. Surprisingly I was one of the first to clue in.  
"You did this?" I asked Jasper, my eyes widening with amazement. I had known he could manipulate emotions but this was beyond what I had imagined. The vampire inclined his head, confirming my words. Alice was giggling, having already known this was going to happen, while she kept one arm around me. Edward, Emmett and Rosalie all turned to Jasper, fury etched into their marble faces. Edging away from the group, Jasper looked distinctly unsettled.  
"Uh maybe it wasn't the best idea in the world but you have to admit it was pretty funny." He held his hands up, facing the angry vampires warily.  
"Before you go and do something you might regret, you should remember I was in on the joke as well." Carlisle said, causing Edward, Emmett and Rosalie to stop where they were and look sheepish. None of them liked the idea of going up against Carlisle, their father and creator, pillar in times of need. They stepped backwards with only one or two death glares at Jasper, who wisely chose not to use his gift to calm them down.  
"Whatever." Emmett muttered before seeing the clock in the corner. "Hey, it's human eating time!" I groaned. The vampires seemed determined to feed me regularly and so stuck to the pattern provided to them by school. Morning tea, therefore, was 10.20 am, now. The huge vampire broke into a massive smile, rushing to the kitchen to prepare what I hoped was an edible meal. I had barely registered that he'd left when he returned wearing a confused expression.  
"Uh, can someone explain why the dining room is upside down?" he asked hesitantly. A few of the vampires scoffed and looked at him as if he was crazy. Alice and Edward, however, simply smirked when everyone bolted after Emmett to investigate.

Two hours later everyone was on edge, waiting for Rosalie and me to strike. Emmett was continuously checking the furniture and above the doors for gags while Alice, who had seen our decision, Rosalie and I deliberately blocked our thoughts from Edward by constantly thinking about other things.  
"Please?" Edward begged for the millionth time, not liking the fact that he had no idea.  
"Nope." Rosalie said firmly, still unhappy about Jasper and Carlisle's prank earlier. Jasper, sensing the glee and anticipation emanating from us, looked around edgily and suddenly bolted upstairs.  
"He's making sure none of his possessions have been harmed." Alice told me and I grinned. I very deliberately looked at my watch and then at Rose.  
"Time?" I asked and she nodded, getting to her feet and following me from the room into the kitchen. Rosalie led me from room to room and moved things to make noises like we were preparing little pranks. About five minutes later we returned to the living room and sat down as if nothing had happened, watching with amusement as everyone tried to subtly leave and check for booby traps.  
"Oh god!" Alice laughed the second everyone had left the room except us and Rose, even though they could hear her. Both she and Rosalie were shaking trying to control their laughter. I found it amusing but was still far too shy to join in their laughter. Instead, I curled up against Alice, enjoying the feeling of her body shaking against mine. Slowly their laughter subsided and a cool, stone hand began gently stroking my hair. To kill the time while the other vampires searched the house and surrounding land for our prank, Rosalie and Alice began playing Snap, but at vampire speed. To me it was just a blur but the mounting pile of cards on Alice's side told me who was winning. When the game finished, barely a minute after commencing, I looked at Rosalie in puzzlement.  
"Why did you play her when she's got an unfair advantage?" I asked, genuinely confused. Rosalie shrugged good naturedly.  
"It's not about winning, it's about having fun." She replied easily. I looked thoughtful. That wasn't a concept I was overly familiar with: fun. In my past any games that were played were solely about winning or control, or both. Was it possible that some people didn't _need_ to win? For a brief second my thoughts, normally so carefully controlled, especially around Edward, flashed to the thirteen years of my life before the mental institution. My breath caught in my throat when Edward materialized in front of me, his face a mixture between concern and outrage.  
"What was that?" He asked me, struggling to keep his voice calm. I shook my head, panicked.  
"Nothing." I said, wishing with all my being that that was true.  
"Edward, calm down! You're scaring her!" Exclaimed Jasper, causing me to jump. I hadn't realised he was there. Alice was holding me protectively, her grip slightly tighter than it was before the boys entered the room. I leant slightly closer to the cool vampire, looking anywhere but at Edward.  
"Not now, please?" I pleaded, keeping my eyes fixated on the floor but speaking to the angry vampire. A lungful of air was released as Edward surrendered to my plea.  
"Fine." He spun on heel and left after shooting a meaningful look at Alice. I felt her press her lips gently to my forehead. Carlisle burst through the door, irritation showing on his marble face.  
"Ok, spill. What did you do?" He directed the question at both me and Rosalie although it was Alice who answered.  
"Nothing." She said sweetly, in her 'acting innocent but so not' tone. A nervous laugh exploded forth from my lips. Carlisle glared at her.  
"Seriously, it's driving everyone nuts, we can't work it out." He seemed frustrated so I nervously told him what we'd done.  
"We didn't do anything, _really._ That was our prank, to do nothing and then everyone would get paranoid trying to work out what we'd done." I explained. For a second Carlisle stood stock still, stunned, before laughing.  
"Well, it worked." He chuckled, appreciating the joke. The other vampires had heard me explain and appeared in the room with varying expressions. Edward seemed slightly annoyed, Emmett thought it was hilarious; Esme was amused while Jasper was clearly exasperated.

I lay on my bed staring at the digital clock, watching the green numbers turn from 11.47 to 11.48pm. I couldn't sleep. Before moving to Forks I couldn't sleep if someone else was in my room, now I couldn't sleep when Alice was away. The bed shifted slightly and I almost jumped out of my skin. Luckily I didn't scream because a second later Alice's face appeared before me with a concerned expression.  
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" she asked worriedly.  
"A little." I admitted, scooting over so she could lie beside me. We faced one another, hands entwined, saying nothing, and content just to listen to each other breathing. We stayed like that for nearly ten minutes before I gave a little sigh and edged a tiny bit closer to the vampire. She mimicked my actions until we were as close as we could get. I inhaled deeply, loving the sweet scent that surrounded her. It was like nothing I could describe. Her pale, slender hand slipped under my chin and pulled it up so our faces were level. Blue met golden as we stared, neither willing to break from the other's gaze. Slowly Alice closed her golden eyes and leant in slightly, pressing her full lips to mine. A tingle ran down my spine and I shivered, but not from cold. I leant into the kiss, parting my lips slightly so she could slip her tongue into my mouth. It was a strange feeling, the warmth of my mouth combined with the cool of her tongue, but pleasant. More than pleasant. We broke apart, me needing air and Alice not wanting to test her control too much. I sighed happily, snuggling up so I was pressed up against Alice.  
"I love you." I whispered to her.  
"I love you more." She replied, stroking my hair as I drifted to sleep. I was too far gone to reply.

Monday was hell. Complete and utter hell, no sense denying it. I had gone the entire weekend without hurting myself, a record for me, and because of that I was on edge and barely in control. I slunk through the parking lot praying nobody would notice me. No such luck. Angela, the girl from English, spotted me and called me over. Not wanting to be rude, I walked over to her. Luckily I hadn't broken my silence with anyone outside the Cullens except my social worker, so Angela didn't expect me to say anything.  
"Hey, Kyra, listen, just so you know one of the guys, Rex, has a crush on you. Just thought you should know." Angela was nice, one of those people who would warn you about a crush, not to see you squirm uncomfortably, but to give you time to work out how to deal with it. While she had been uncomfortable with my mutism at first, slowly she had gotten used to it and she seemed not to be bothered by it now. Once she finished her warning she smiled in a friendly manner and went off to join her friends, leaving me to creep away. I knew Alice would be by my locker, she always was in the mornings, so I made my way there quickly, feeling vulnerable by myself. Alice took one look at me and pulled me into a hug.  
"Oh, my dear." She said softly. A quick glance around told her the corridor was empty and she gave me a gentle kiss on my lips, causing my heart to speed up and thump embarrassingly loudly. "Come on." Alice pulled away and took my hand, my books for the next two classes already on her pile which she carried with ease in her free hand. To my disappointment she merely led me to our English class but at least it was forty minutes of sitting beside Alice.

Alice dropped me off at my religion class, leaving me in the care of Edward. Not long after she'd gone, but before Mr. Marks arrived, another teacher walked past and, seeing Edward, beckoned him out.  
"I'll be right back." He promised me. The good thing about him being a mind reader was I didn't have to outwardly communicate. Edward slipped out of his seat and walked over to the teacher who was standing in the corridor. I zoned out, going into my own little world while I waited for Edward to return. I didn't even notice that someone was beside me until Rex spoke.  
"Hey, Kyra." I jumped, staring at the boy with wide, frightened eyes. He seemed nervous and my thoughts flew to Angela's warning earlier. Rex sat down in Edward's seat. "So, um, I don't know if you know, but I like you." He was flustered and my silence wasn't helping him but he'd brought this on himself by bringing it up. "Oh, god." He muttered before leaning forwards and pressing his lips to mine, slightly opened in surprise. I froze, terror flooding through me and my thoughts spinning wildly out of control. He pulled away suddenly, although I quickly realised it wasn't by choice. Edward was holding the scruff of the boy's collar and was snarling angrily.  
"Don't you _ever_ try anything like that on her again!" He hissed. Rex whimpered and the teacher leapt into action, darting into the room and attempting to calm Edward. I could barely focus on the conversation. I shuddered, trying in vain to block the memories from flooding through my mind. I didn't realise I had left the room until I found myself tearing down a corridor heading for the nearest bathroom. The green door slammed shut behind me as I feverishly locked myself in the first cubicle. It turned out I had brought my pencil case with me so I grabbed my sharpener out and easily unscrewed the blade, practice having made perfect. Tears were streaming uncontrollably down my face making it difficult for me to see. Not caring, I slashed angrily, viciously and almost screamed at the pain. Undeterred, I took another quick swipe before falling to the floor, blood pooling from the two gashes across my left wrist, my body wracked with sobs and my mind revisiting the worst times of my life.  
"Shit!" someone hissed. The voice was familiar, a friend. There was a bang, a door closing and someone joined the first person.  
"Fuck!" The second voice jolted me out of the memories a little, enough for me to react.  
"Alice!" I whispered, desperate to feel her hold me.  
"Can you open the door, Kyra?" the first voice asked a voice I finally recognized as belonging to Rosalie. The door seemed huge to me and the lock so far up. I felt so weak and tired.  
"No." I replied quietly. Alice wriggled under the door, holding her breath, and unlocked it. Once the door was open Rosalie scooped me up while Alice grabbed my wrist and held it tightly with her hand, attempting to slow the flood. When we got outside the bathroom Edward was there, phone in hand and talking quickly. He said something to Rosalie and Alice and the word blurred as the vampires ran. Apparently cars were too slow because when the world came into focus again we were at the Cullen mansion and Rosalie was putting me on the couch. Déjà vu! Carlisle took one look and shook his head.  
"She needs the hospital." He said and I panicked, shaking my head furiously.  
"No, no! Please, Carlisle!" I begged, not wanting to ever step foot in a hospital again. Alice nodded.  
"You'll manage, Carlisle, I've seen it." I breathed a sigh of relief. A quick jab caused me to flinch but my arm very quickly went numb. Edward, Esme and Rosalie left the room, unable to handle the blood, but it touched me that Alice stayed, despite her clothes and hands being covered in my blood. Her presence kept me anchored in the present although the past hovered at the edges, threatening to spill over again given the slightest opportunity.  
"Don't leave." I whispered to her, positive I would not last in her absence.  
"I'm not going anywhere." She promised, kissing my forehead while Carlisle worked on my wrist.  
"Done." He announced, finishing with a bandage. "I had to put in stitches; you did a damn god job." He told me. I bit my lip.  
"I'm sorry." I said, terrified that they would hate me.  
"Kyra, we don't hate you, we're just worried." Edward said. I jumped. I hadn't noticed him or the others return. Nor had I realised that Jasper and Emmett had come home from school.  
"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Rosalie asked, voicing the question I'm sure they were all thinking. Slowly I nodded.  
"I'll try. I don't know if I can tell it all but I'll try." I said.  
"But first we need to get rid of this blood." Alice piped up.

Five minutes later the living room and all its inhabitants were free of spilt blood. Alice and I snuggled together on the couch with Rosalie sitting on my other side. Jasper was on the floor while Emmett sat on the arm of the couch, beside Rosalie. Sitting beside Jasper were the parents of the household, Carlisle and Esme, hand in hand and eyes intently trained on me. I really didn't want to be doing this but I knew if I didn't now I never would, plus I owed it to them. I took a deep breath, taking comfort in Alice's proximity.  
"You all know that before I moved here I spent two years in a mental institution. What you don't know is why or where I was before that." I began, deliberately thinking of the story in a detached manner, as if I was merely retelling a story I had read. "The details on my birth and age are sketchy although doctors have guessed me to be early sixteen. Before I was thirteen or fourteen I had no name, no identity and had never seen the sky. My home was a small room in a cellar and the only person I ever saw was a male, maybe forty years old, who insisted I never addressed him directly. With nobody else to talk to I began to talk to myself, the walls. I went insane." I stopped, breathing deeply. The vampires were motionless but I could already see the hate in their eyes, directed at this nameless man. It was about to get worse.  
"How does it get worse?" Edward asked tightly, through clenched teeth. Alice's hand tightened on my good one.  
"Hold me?" I asked petrified that by talking about it I would lose the precarious control I had managed to gather over the years. She pulled me onto her lap, wrapping her icy arms around me and placing a feather light kiss on my neck.  
"I'll keep you calm." Jasper promised and I smiled at him gratefully.  
"Much of what happened I don't remember, the doctors say I purposefully blocked it from my conscious memory. I do remember bits and pieces. Food was withheld for days on end if I didn't do what he wanted and there would be hell to pay if I did something wrong." The next part was going to be the hardest to say. "Today at school I freaked out, had a bit of a relapse, because Rex kissed me and it reminded me of what _he_ used to do and for a minute I thought I was back there, about to endure yet another rape." I choked on the last word, unable to continue. The vampires freaked. Rose and Esme scooted closer to me trying to comfort me while Alice hugged me, her body shuddering as if she was crying. I vaguely noticed Edward, Emmett and Carlisle talking furiously in the corner while Jasper was fighting to maintain the calm. My attention was focused on Alice. Although there were no tears it was obvious she was crying in her vampire way.  
"Hey, it's ok." I whispered, horrified that she was so upset. I turned as far as I could so I was mostly facing her and wrapped my warm arms around her, careful not to bump my sore arm. Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek before resting my head on her shoulder to wait out the episode. Slowly she calmed, helped no doubt by Jasper. It was only when Alice stopped crying that I realised Esme and Rose had been stroking my hair the entire time.  
"How do you cope when I kiss you?" Alice asked, worry in her voice. I shook my head, dismissing her fears.  
"It's nothing alike. When you kiss me its heaven." I said, blushing furiously. "When Rex kissed me it set me off for four reasons. 1, he's male. 2, I don't like him 3, it was against my will and 4, I love you." Seeing the doubt in her eyes I leant forward again and pressed my lips to hers in front of her entire family. "See?" I asked and she smiled at me. It wasn't the smile I knew and loved but it was a smile which was more than I expected under the circumstances.  
"Fine, but would you mind staying here tonight? I want you to be as safe as possible and I can't very well drag my entire family into your room." My angel asked.  
"If you clear it with my foster parents then its fine." I promised, hoping the Yorkshires would agree. Carlisle cleared his throat.  
"Well I'll take you over to talk to them; I need to tell them about your episode at school anyway so I'll recommend staying at my house for medical treatment. Don't worry I won't tell them what you told us." He added, seeing the look on my face.

An hour later Carlisle, Alice and I were getting out of Alice's Porsche, heading back into the Cullen mansion. My foster parents had not been impressed when they learned of the episode at school and had dobbed me in to Miss Adams, but were quick to agree to me staying at the Cullens' house for a few days for 'observation'. Miss Adams was going to come over on Wednesday; she was busy Tuesday but needed to see me because of what had happened.  
"Ok, well tomorrow its going to be sunny so we can't go to school, and I'm not sending you alone so lets go shopping!" Alice announced as we made our way through the front door. "We'll take Esme and Rosalie and make a day of it." She giggled. Rose and Esme smiled and graciously accepted her invitation. The boys grinned and Jasper and Emmett high fived. Esme suddenly darted out of the room, returning with a sandwich, coke and pleased smile.  
"You should eat." She told me, handing me the plate. Uncomfortable as it was eating in front of a coven of vampires, all of whom were fascinated by my eating, I _was_ hungry and so it was only with a small hesitation that I bit into the sandwich. Rosalie shuddered.  
"That smells terrible and you're actually eating it!" She pulled a face.  
"What and elk have the most wonderful scent in the world?" I retorted causing her to smile.  
"I'll give you that one; elk do have a pretty awful scent." Alice smiled, seemingly more pleased by my victory than I was. As soon as I was finished my sandwich and coke Alice disposed of the plate and can before leading me upstairs, my bag in hand.  
"You should unpack." She told me even though I was only staying a few nights. The Cullen's, I knew from previous visits, did not have a spare bedroom, so I was slightly anxious as to the sleeping arrangements. When Alice led me into her room I calmed significantly. "Here, I cleared this drawer out for you." Alice opened the drawer, a smile in place as I crept forwards.  
"Alice." I whispered my voice barely audible to me but I was sure she heard me. She didn't reply, just stared at me, her expression a mixture of confusion, happiness and longing. Altering her smile to sexy and seductive, my angel took a slow step towards me, holding open her arms.


	3. Visiting the Cullens

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Cullens. Never have, but one can dream. I think everyone knows who gets the credit for all Twilight content.**

**Author Note: Thank you to those of you who have reviewed, it means a lot to me. Ok, so before you get upset about this chapter being short, it sets the stage for a very dramatic fourth chapter. Have fun and please review!**

I stepped into Alice's open arms, luxuriating in the comfort they provided, the sense of belonging.  
"You know what we never did?" I asked her. She shook her head, a questioning smile on her lips.  
"No, what did we never do?" Alice whispered, unable to keep the slight surprise out of her voice. I could guess what caused the surprise. Although I responded easily enough to her, and more recently (aka today) to her family members, initiating a conversation was new for me. Neither of us mentioned that fact aloud.  
"Watch Superman." I smiled. Alice grinned, taking my hand and leading me back downstairs.  
"I'll make popcorn!" Alice squealed, rushing into the kitchen after planting me on the couch beside Esme, who looked rather startled. She raised an eyebrow at me while Alice bustled around in the kitchen.  
"She's making popcorn." I explained hesitantly. I could see in Esme's eyes the pity my story had caused and wondered why on earth I had told them. What on earth had made me think it would be ok to burden the Cullens with my past? Esme pulled me into a hug, seemingly spontaneous, until I caught sight of Edward's reflection on the coffee table. I pulled away and looked at him, my eyes wide with fear. He'd heard my thoughts, I'd forgotten all about that particular ability in the last few hours.  
"Kyra," He sighed, sitting on one of the other chairs, carefully keeping his distance. "We're all glad you told us. Even if you weren't Alice's soul mate, and there's no doubt that you are, we would have wanted to protect you. I'm not sure how to explain it but there is something about you that draws us to you." His speech was certainly moving but I didn't believe it. After all, why would century old vampires with eternity before them, endless cash and astounding beauty, be drawn to a painfully shy, tortured teenage human with a life expectancy of a couple of years? But then, even if they were just being nice because of Alice, something drew her in. She was, after all, the one who had approached me, not vice versa. Not that I wasn't glad she had, she was my reason for existing, but it threw a spanner in the works over Edward's speech. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the pain in Esme's eyes. The scent of popcorn drafted to my nose, plus the strange but alluring scent I associated with Alice; a touch of floral with refreshing fruit and just a smidge of vanilla. It sounds bizarre but it was the most heavenly scent I had ever smelt.  
"You belong here. You belong with us." Esme told me. I knew Alice could hear all of this, she'd probably even seen it coming, which meant it was probably something Esme needed. I opened my eyes to meet hers, blue meeting honey. I smiled a little and reached for her hand. The motherly figure let me take her hand, her eyes shining with just a touch of happiness although I could still see the pain, much as I'm sure she could see the same emotion reflected in mine. "We're never free of the past, Kyra, but we live now."  
"I know, Esme, it's just so hard sometimes. How do you forget 14 years of hell in 2 years?" I didn't voice my biggest fears, that _he_ would return, or that maybe I'd deserved what I got, that I wasn't worth rescuing.  
"Don't even _think_ that, Kyra!" Edward said vehemently, causing Alice to come out of the kitchen, a bowl of popcorn in her hand.  
"What did she think?" Alice asked, walking over to us and sitting on my other side, pulling me into her lap again. I buried my face against her neck, not wanting to look at Edward.  
"She thinks she deserves what happened and that she's not worth rescuing." Snarled Edward. The four vampires who weren't already in the conversation walked into the room. Apparently Superman was going to be a group activity.  
"God, Kyra, no, how can you think that?" Alice asked, kissing my cheek gently as tears streamed down my face.  
"You did _not_ deserve what that bastard did to you! If he ever comes _anywhere_ near you again I swear I'll kill him myself." Rosalie vowed, her pale hand resting on my shoulder and her golden eyes shining with intensity.  
"Get in line." Both Emmett and Alice hissed at the same time. I giggled a little. It wasn't really amusing but I was so emotionally exhausted that my reactions were getting out of whack. It helped, though; my laughter dissipated some of the tension in the room.  
"Superman?" I reminded Alice. Emmett grinned and darted over to the DVD player.  
"I love Superman!" He almost sang.  
"Why am I not surprised?" Carlisle asked in a teasing manner and everyone laughed.

Surprisingly the movie wasn't too bad. Definitely not a favourite but not something I would complain about seeing again. When it finished Alice carried me up the stairs and left me to change before settling me into her massive bed. I swear I could have gotten lost in that bed if Alice hadn't lain beside me. Naturally my body gravitated towards her and I fell asleep pressed as close to her as I could get, enjoying the contrast of the warm bed to her cool body.

I woke the next morning with the sun shining on my face, pleasantly warm, and a dazzling light startling my sleepy eyes.  
"Alice." I said groggily, smiling at the twinkling vampire.  
"Morning sleepy, you're lucky I didn't wake you. I've been absolutely dying to go shopping!" So much for a lie in, Alice scooped me up and rushed me downstairs, mindful of my throbbing wrist. Halfway to the kitchen I pressed my bandage against her skin, surprised and relieved when the throbbing stopped, the cool doing wonders. "What do you feel like eating?" Asked the goddess before me, dropping me into a chair and opening the cupboard to reveal a number of cereals, bread and even some pancake mix.  
"I thought you don't eat."  
"We don't." Alice looked slightly confused.  
"Then what's with all the food?"  
"It's for you." Alice said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe to someone else it was, but to me it was astounding. They had actually gone out and gotten me food, a wide selection of food they would never eat. To my horror I felt tears prick at my eyes. Alice's smile faltered and she took a step closer, her expression worried. "Kyra, are you ok? What's wrong?" She asked. I nodded then shook my head, unsure as to how to answer that. Seeing that her expression was still one of worry I smiled tearfully, hoping that would appease her. She looked slightly less upset but still concerned.  
"Don't worry, I'm fine." I promised, hoisting myself out of the chair and walking around to her. By the time I reached her she had already put cereal and milk in a bowl and had a spoon waiting. "How did you, oh, future, right." I felt like an idiot. Alice just smiled and sat down, indicating for me to join her. It was kind of unnerving the way she watched me eat and if it had been anyone else I wouldn't have. As it was I barely managed.

Half an hour later Alice had me dressed and ready to face the day, or as ready as I ever was, and marched me back downstairs to meet up with Rosalie and Esme. They were waiting for us by the front door, decked out in designer gear. Naturally Alice had shoved me into some, although it didn't fit nearly as well as it did on them and I felt out of place. I didn't know Gucci from Target.  
"Let's take the Ferrari!" Rose squealed, rushing out to the garage. Esme and Alice walked with me at human speed, neither showing any sign of impatience.

It's official. Alice Cullen _loves_ shopping. She, Esme and Rose hightailed it to the first designer store they saw, pulling me along and grabbing clothes off the racks like the world was ending.  
"Ok, these ones I want you to try on." Alice said, separating her load into two piles. My eyes widened as I saw the clothes she held out to me and my hands started shaking. I clenched my firsts to control it, took a deep breath and held out my hands for the clothes. Nervously I changed into the first outfit, unsure of how it should look. The jeans were a snug fit but, to my untrained eye, looked nice. The top, a little too low-cut for my liking, was cream coloured and had a pretty ribbon that could be tied at the front or back. I let it hang to the sides. I opened the door, anxiously looking for my vampire. The sales assistant came rushing over the second the door opened.  
"Oh sweetie, that looks lovely! Here, let me tie that." The lady reached for the ribbons and, without thinking, I took a step back, blood draining from my face. Alice came rushing over, having to abide by human speed, a panicked look on her face that matched mine.  
"I wouldn't do that." She called, reaching my side and holding me. The sales assistant looked startled, obviously not used to such a strong reaction. "She's not really a fan of strangers touching her….at all." Alice explained, tying the ribbon at the back.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie." The lady said. I felt horrible but I couldn't say anything. My throat constricted and my head buzzed. Instinctively I cringed behind Alice, my hand in hers.  
"Don't worry. Hey, Kyra, that outfit looks cute. Wanna try on another?" Alice asked, gesturing to the outfits still remaining. I bit my lip and stepped into the change room again, closing the door and changing as quickly as I could.

The next few stores weren't quite as bad. The three excited vampires all purchased insane amounts of shoes and clothing, some of which were for me despite my protests. We were just making our way towards the fifth store when Alice's grip on my hand tightened ever so slightly. Looking up I noticed her expression was vacant. I had no idea what to do. Luckily Rose was on my other side so I didn't have to speak. Instead I tapped her arm and pointed at Alice. Rosalie immediately got Esme's attention and led Alice to a seat.  
"A vision?" Rosalie asked the second Alice lost the vague expression. It was instantly replaced with blind panic.  
"Kyra!" She gasped, pulling me into a tight hug, well tight for a human anyway. I knew the vision couldn't have been good. "We have to go home." The words were barely out of her mouth when she jumped off the seat and, keeping a protective grip on me, rushed from the mall, Esme and Rose hurrying along beside her.  
"What did you see?" Esme queried, her voice anxious and a little frightened. A snarl erupted from Alice's throat, anger flashing in her golden eyes.  
"_Not here!_" she snarled before sighing apologetically. "I'm sorry, Esme, I'm just worried. I didn't mean to get angry at you."  
"You'll explain in the car though, right?" Esme sounded like she wanted to be tough but wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. Alice nodded.  
"In the car." She promised, leading the way to the red Ferrari. Rosalie bounded ahead, unlocking the car and opening the doors on her side. Alice and I slipped into the back seat while Esme rounded the car and settled into the passenger front seat beside Rosalie.  
"What happened?" Rose persisted, the car flying out of its spot and racing towards the exit. I held my breath, not exactly a fan of the insane Cullen driving speeds.  
"Kyra, if this gets too much tell me to stop, ok?" I nodded, alarmed at the fearful look in Alice's eyes.  
"Yes." I whispered. Alice took a deep breath, readying herself before speaking.  
"I saw you, Kyra, in a tiny room. You had a chain around your waist." She choked. I knew there was more to the vision but I didn't want to think about it.  
"No. No, I'm _not_ going back there!" I was filled with a sick terror and a sense of defeat. If Alice had seen it then someone had made a decision that, unless changed, would lead me back to that hell. Alice looked as broken as I felt. I wrapped my arms around her, stroking her soft hair. I could hear Esme and Rosalie talking but I paid no attention to their words, focusing on the broken angel before me.  
"We will not let that _bastard_ anywhere near you, Kyra! I promise." Rosalie hissed, her eyes meeting mine in the rear view mirror. I gave her a small smile, unable to stop the anxiety and fear that still coursed through me.

Emmett exploded. Several walls were punched before he regained control.  
"Sorry." He told Esme. She didn't look like she cared, which surprised me. "Ok, we'll just make sure one of us is with her at all times." They drew up a schedule, though for the next few days it didn't matter because I was staying with them.  
"Do we have a time frame?" Carlisle asked. Alice shook her head.  
"Sorry, there was nothing that could give away when." She sighed, dejected.  
"Not to worry. It'll be fine." Jasper said, helping Emmett with the schedule and planning the best positions to watch the Yorkshire's house from the outside.

A week later, on Monday, a surprise visit from Nancy Adams disrupted the vampires' guard. I was getting ready for school when Nancy into my room, knocking briefly on the doorframe.  
"Come on, I've got to take you back to the hospital for a check up." She told me. I looked at her in surprise. A check up? What for, I wasn't physically ill? Oh, right, the thing last week. There had been an emergency back at the hospital so I guess today was the reschedule. It would have been nice to be told earlier but there wasn't much I could do about it now. I wasn't given a chance to tell the Cullens, simply bundled up into her car and driven straight out of Forks.

At the hospital I was left in the waiting room, an orderly left to supervise me. I sat perfectly still, staring at the carpeted floor and hoping the orderly wouldn't demand conversation. He was doing something with a piece of fabric, tipping a detergent on it or something. Slowly he walked forwards, stopping a few steps away.  
"It's been a long time." The familiar voice sent a chill through my spine, turning my blood cold. Oh god, no! I looked up, horrified and opened my mouth to scream as my eyes settled on the man who had held me captive for most of my life. Before I could scream he darted forwards, pressing the fabric to my nose and mouth and the world turned black.


	4. Return

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I wish I did. **

**Author Note: This particular chapter contains references to rape and child abuse. I'm just warning you now so it's not a shock later, although any loyal readers of this story would have guessed that before now. **

It was dark but I could guess where I was, if not the precise location then at least the general idea. Despite this, despite knowing the situation was hopeless, I felt my hand go automatically to my waist. No luck, there was a thick metal band running around my waist, linked to a chain that was attached to the wall. The ground beneath my feet was dirt, though I'm not sure if there was cement underneath that or not. For a minute the reality of the situation did not sink it. Oh, I knew where I was, what the situation was, but knowing in your head is one thing, knowing in your heart and soul is another. It wasn't until I heard footsteps approaching me that panic set in. My hands frantically ran the length of the chain, tugging uselessly to free it from the wall. A petrified glance over my shoulder showed me the silhouette of the man I feared.

"So, little one – or would you rather I call you Kyra? Are you glad to see me?" I looked passed him, not wanting to take in his cold, green eyes, stubbly chin and wrinkled, sunken cheeks. "Oh, don't worry; nobody will disturb our time together. After all, you didn't tell anyone our secret. Nobody cares for you; you're just another foster child. They'll be glad to let me look after you, such a trouble maker. I heard you even got thrown out of hospital." He made a sad tisking noise and laid his hand on my bare shoulder. His skin felt like fire, me being used to the cold touch of the vampires. Without thinking I flinched. His smile grew.

"Oh, how touching. You remember, don't you? Well, so do I, and I've been waiting a long time for this day. Two long years in prison, just for doing what had to be done to control you. You always were a troublesome child. But that's ok; I'm here to remedy that." I pulled away, moving as far as I could from him, which wasn't far. He chuckled and followed me, placing his hand on my lower back and pulling me towards him. With his free hand he roughly yanked my jeans down. Even in the dim light I could see the malicious glint in his eyes and knew nothing would save me this time. Frustrated when he realised I was wearing underwear, he didn't bother pulling them down, instead just ripping them.

"You won't need them anymore." He told me in his gruff voice, the one he used when aroused. I heard the unzipping of his fly and closed my eyes, turning my head away. I knew it wouldn't help but it gave me some sense of satisfaction, defying him even in small ways like looking away. I was right, though. It didn't help. He still forced his stiff, hard maleness into me.

Two days passed. Two days of hell. Not once did he throw down a scrap of food and he only offered me one sip of water, only enough to keep me conscious. I was weak, sleep deprived and aching from the frequent 'punishment sessions', which always seem to involve him raping me. On the first day I had clung to the hope that Alice and her family were not far behind me, but as time progressed I came to accept that I was in this alone. Unlike them I did not possess the strength to fight and what little spirit I had managed to gather in the two year hiatus from my captor was fading quickly. In the time I had been held by him I had, so far, not uttered a single word nor made so much as a whimper, and so he had no way of knowing I had broken my silence before he recaptured me. This was only a small advantage, however, and made no real difference. Even as I held my silence I could feel myself slipping away, retreating further and further into my mind, away from reality and becoming unreachable. I barely felt it now when he touched me, when he forced his way inside, because my body was just a shell. I was safe in my mind.

I have no idea how much time went by. It could have been minutes or days. Time had no meaning for me and even less relevance. I was sitting in the uncomfortable position that was the only form of rest I could get thanks to the short chain keeping me from lying down, when my captor reentered the room.

"Get up." He snarled, although the words seemed vague and distant to me. I felt his hands grab me and hoist me up to my feet but I made no attempt to stand and simply fell back to the ground, hardly even noticing the pain when the back of my head hit the concrete wall.

"_Get up!_" The man's hand collided with the side of my face. Still I made no move to stand, simply retreating further into my mind. His words washed over me, no longer making sense. I was yanked to my feet again, held in place against the concrete wall. I could feel the cold against my back and the trickle of my blood running from the wound on the back of my head. It didn't bother me. My eyes settled on a random spot to the right, near the door, as I continued to pay no attention to the man before me. I vaguely noted the feel of his hands and the pain as he pushed himself into me. In my almost catatonic state I didn't recognize what I was seeing at first, when seven pale figures rushed through the door. I thought I was hallucinating. But when the man moving inside me pulled away and uttered a surprised yell I realised the Cullens had come to save me. Caught off guard, not having been supporting myself and not expecting the man to move, I fell to the ground, caught halfway by one of the figures.

"Carlisle!" a musical voice called as her cool hand brushed my unwashed hair off my face. "It's ok, Kyra, it's going to be ok." The voice promised as another figure appeared beside my angel. Sleep deprivation, hunger, dehydration and shock all caught up with me in that one instant and for the millionth time in a short period of time, I felt myself drifting away.

A soothing, regular, beeping welcomed me back to the world. At first I kept my eyes closed as tightly as I could, unwilling to face the bright light I could see creeping under my eyelids.

"I know you're awake." A voice teased. I knew the voice, it was safe and familiar. Slowly I opened my eyes, meeting Alice's golden pools of honey. She smiled, but even in my state I could tell it was a fragile, broken smile. I wanted to smile back at her, to take her hand and tell her everything would be ok, but I couldn't make my body obey me. I felt disconnected, like I wasn't one with my body, and yet fear tugged at my mind.

"She's awake?" Someone asked and the voice was deep and masculine. Instinctively I tensed, despite the familiarity of the friendly voice. The huge male who strode into my view terrified me, although I knew he would do me no harm. _He's a friend!_ I screamed at myself but the fear would not subside. My heart rate went through the roof and my breathing became erratic, causing a look of alarm to spread across both their faces and a nurse to come running in.

"What's going on?" The nurse asked, checking the machines. Emmett crept out of the room while Alice took my hand in hers and the nurse finished up on the machines. "What happened?" She asked. I didn't respond, didn't so much as twitch a muscle. I heard Alice say something to her but I didn't follow her words. Whatever she said, the nurse accepted it and left the room.

"Kyra, honey, I'm so sorry." Alice hung her head, staring at our entwined hands. I knew I had to tell her somehow that it wasn't her fault, but I was so scared. As it was I felt more like I was watching this on TV than actually living it, but forcing myself to reconnect with my body, to accept that this was my life, was the scariest thing I could think of. But it had to be done. Minutes passed as I struggled internally, fighting to gather the will.

"I-it's not your f-fault, Alice." I croaked my voice husky from disuse and dehydration. Alice's eyes brightened at my words. Rather than offer a verbal reply the angel leaned over and hugged me. I winced from the pain and fought tooth and nail not to pull away. I didn't want to hurt her feelings but, right now, the hug was a little scary. The door opened again and Esme stepped into the room, accompanied by my foster mother.

"Kyra, Alice." Mrs. Yorkshire said awkwardly, fidgeting with her handbag as she stood next to Esme.

"Hello Mrs. Yorkshire. How are you?" Alice asked politely, standing to greet my foster mother.

"I'm well thanks, and yourself?" She responded, although I could tell she didn't really care. It was social protocol that dictated her words. Her eyes flicked to me and away, quickly. Did I really look that bad? I must have decided to ask Alice because she looked at me sadly and shook her head. Esme left her spot standing beside my foster mother and moved to sit on the edge of my bed. She let her icy hand rest on my arm as she looked at me. Like with the other Cullens, so much was said without words. In letting her hand remain on my arm I was showing that I still trusted her and didn't blame her for what happened, and by her close proximity she was telling me she cared.

"I'm going to, er, go and get some coffee. Does anyone else want any?" Mrs. Yorkshire asked to the room at large. Nobody took her up on the offer and she left the room quickly. I could tell she hated being here and was only doing it out of a sense of obligation. I wished she wouldn't. Once she was out of the room the vampires were free to speak.

"Oh, god, Kyra, I'm so sorry!" Esme said her voice sounding like she was choking on non-existent tears. I didn't want her to be sad; I wanted her to know that nothing was her fault and that I knew they had tried their best. But I couldn't force myself to say the words. It was as if every bit of progress I had made since coming to Forks had rewound and I was back where I'd started. No, I was worse than when I started. I couldn't quite work out how but this felt different. This mutism was stronger, despite having broken it for Alice. Edward poked his head into the room and looked at Esme.

"She wants you to know she doesn't blame you and not to be sad. She knows we tried our best to protect and save her, Esme." He said. I looked at him, trying to convey my gratitude. He understood. He also heard the question I was asking myself. What had happened to the man? I recalled, vaguely, Emmett dragging him to a corner but nothing after that.

"Don't worry about him. Carlisle called in a favour from an old friend and he is now going to spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison where everyone knows he imprisoned, raped and tortured a child. No name was given." Edward smirked. From what I'd heard prisoners didn't exactly welcome child-abusers with open arms. More like closed fists.

"Rosalie was all up for killing him. It took Jasper and Edward to hold her back." Alice told me as she wandered around the room, adding little decorations. I hadn't noticed before but the room was more homely than a typical hospital room. The blankets had a doona cover on them and there were several vases of flowers. There were numerous trinkets around the room all, I presume, from Alice.

"Ohh!" Alice squealed rushing from the room. Edward, who was still standing outside the room but looking in, smiled.

"She'll be right back. Rosalie just arrived." With that he disappeared after Alice. Esme stayed with me.

"Kyra, dear, I want to ask you a question. Of course, I know you won't be able to answer me but Edward or Alice can tell me your answer. How would you feel about living with us?" Tears sprang to my eyes at Esme's words. Live with the Cullens? What more could anyone possibly ever want? For a second Esme looked worried, as if she thought the tears were of pain or sadness, but I moved my hand so it lay on hers and she smiled in a relieved manner.

"Brilliant! We'll get it all organized, don't you worry about a thing." She bubbled as Alice, Rosalie and Edward turned up. Edward again remained at the door, knowing from Emmett's experience that I wasn't ready to have a male in the room. Rosalie was carrying a large bag and wearing a huge smile.

"Hey, Kyra! Look what we've got." She grinned, opening the bag. Alice darted forwards and pulled out a white bear, holding it out to me grandly.

"We know you've never had a teddy and _everyone_ should have one. So here you are." I felt the corners of my mouth pulling up into a smile as Alice tucked the teddy into the bed with me. It was so soft and fluffy and, knowing the Cullens, expensive.

"And we had to get you some clothes because yours were kind of sad." Rosalie told me, putting some clothes into the drawer beside me. If, by sad, she meant that they looked like they'd been bought at a thrift shop, she was right. That's pretty much all you can afford when you're a foster kid. Of course, soon I would be a Cullen, which was very different from being a foster child.

"Emmett insisted we bring a copy of Superman 2 along in case you get bored." Alice chimed in, holding up a DVD.

"And don't think you're getting out of trick or treating with us, because you're not. Alice says you'll still be in hospital then so we'll just do the rounds here." Rose smiled innocently, holding up a black Ninja outfit. My eyes widened and my lips curled up slightly into a small smile. It felt strange, smiling, but I just couldn't believe she was going to insist on the Ninja outfit.

"Halloween is tomorrow." Edward said, hearing me wonder how long I had to prepare. Not long, then. Still, I felt a certain relief that I had not missed the holiday. Despite my anxiety I was secretly looking forward to it. But if I was going to be ready I had to get a grip on this irrational fear of all males. It wasn't _every_ male I should fear, just that one…and obviously those like him. But the vampires I knew were nothing like him.

"Y-you can c-come in, E-Edward." I stuttered nervously, clenching my fists as he hesitantly stepped into the room.

"It's ok." Alice whispered into my ear and I nodded, working on controlling my breathing. It helped that it was Edward, not that I didn't adore Carlisle, Emmett or Jasper, but Edward could hear my thoughts and knew when it was getting too much, when I needed him to back away. And he, like I, knew the body can only maintain fear for so long, exposure to a fear-striking stimulus for prolonged time will gradually decrease the fear felt, so while he would back away at particularly bad moments, he never left the room.

"I'm making Emmett be Superman, too." Rosalie said as a way of distraction. It worked, a small smile tugged at the edges of my lips and my mind briefly disregarded the fact that there was a male in the same room as me. "But I'm not telling you anyone else's costume, they are going to be surprises!" She seemed thrilled by this, smiling as if she'd just announced I was the lottery winner. Alice smirked at her, squeezing my hand gently.

"Get some sleep, ma Cherie." Alice whispered, pulling the blanket around me better and pushing the hair, again, out of my face. Despite having slept for quite a while I was exhausted and offered no argument, welcoming sleep.

"Hey Kyra, I'm here to help!" Rosalie announced, skipping into my hospital room with a smile. She rushed over to me and picked me up. "First you can have a shower. Do you want help? I can get Alice if you'd like." Rosalie offered. A nurse walked in then, a look of surprise gracing her face when she saw Rosalie holding me.

"Um, I'll help Kyra shower. She's not strong enough to stand alone." The nurse said hesitantly. Rose shook her head.

"No, I don't mean to sound rude but you're not as strong as me. I'd prefer to keep an eye on her myself." Rosalie said determinedly. The nurse, a brunette, shrugged good naturedly.

"Ok, whatever you'd prefer." She said agreeably. "I'll check on you in a few minutes. There's a button beside the shower, if anything happens press it." She told us and we both nodded. Rosalie turned on heel and carried me into the bathroom adjoining my room. I thought it would be awkward getting bathed by Rosalie but it wasn't. She was detached and professional yet friendly. It was while she was drying my hair that she decided to do the whole chatter thing.

"I understand how you feel. The fear, revulsion and self-loathing, I get it." I blinked in surprise. Rosalie understood? It wasn't that I saw her as shallow but I never realised she wasn't content. Seeing my surprise she nodded. "I know how I come across. Edward likes to tease me and say I'm narcissistic but it's just a joke. See, Carlisle changed me when he found me on a sidewalk in the 1920's, dying after being raped. So I get it. I know how you feel and if you ever want to talk, I'm here. We all are, even if the others don't understand on the same level I do, they love you." Rosalie said, pulling the brush gently through my hair. I swallowed nervously, wondering how to convey just how much it meant to be that they cared, that she trusted me enough to tell me her story. I couldn't say the words but she seemed to understand. A soft tap on the door scared the hell out of me, making me jump and my heart began to race.

"It's just me, Kyra." Alice called, waiting for Rosalie to unlock the door. Not even a second later my favourite vampire was standing before me, a mischievous smile on her pixie face. "You're going to be such a great ninja! We're gonna have so much fun tonight!" Alice promised, barely able to control her excitement.

"W-what's Halloween, a-anyway?" I croaked with my hoarse voice. The vampires concealed their surprise well, only allowing themselves a brief glance at one another, which I caught.

"It's a holiday. It started out as All Hallows Eve, a pagan holiday, and over time it was adapted and now people dress up on Halloween and say 'trick or treat' to their neighbours and collected candy." Alice explained. I got the idea that it was a basic explanation, kind of like saying Christmas was Jesus' birthday and presents were given on that day, but at least I kind of understood now. At the psychiatric hospital they'd celebrated every holiday but rarely explained what they were. I think they forgot that I didn't know, plus I never showed any interest in what they were doing so it probably didn't' seem worthwhile explaining. It would have been nice to be told though. Maybe if I had understood what the holidays were I would have celebrated them. Not likely. I was too withdrawn then. Ok, so I wasn't exactly the shining beacon of improvement right now but there were circumstances.

"And so now we're going to go trick or treating here! It's going to be _so_ much fun!" Rosalie chimed in, her voice flooded with cheer. "And just wait until you see what Alice is going as."

The black Ninja outfit wasn't too bad. Yeah I felt really conspicuous but at least it covered most of my face so hopefully nobody would recognize me later, and I was actually having fun. Esme, dressed up as someone called Scary Spice, was telling me about the last Halloween they'd celebrated, back in 1982.

"Alice went as Mini Mouse, I've no idea why, but of course as soon as Emmett cracked a 'Mini' joke she started beating him up. We decided it was probably a bad idea to celebrate it again for a while given the amount of damage to our house once we finally broke up the fight." Esme said as Rosalie dragged the victim in the tale through the door. I instantly stiffened, hyper aware of Emmett's presence, but I forced myself to focus on their outfits. Emmett was, as promised, decked out in a Superman outfit, and he seemed thrilled about it. I'm not even kidding. The outfit that got me was Rosalie's. To my surprise I was amused rather than upset by what she was wearing; a straight jacket and hospital issue pants, her hair was teased and she had used make up to draw scratches onto her face. She was playing the role of a mental institution patient. She smiled at me and I could see the relief in her eyes when I smiled back.

"Alice said you'd be fine with it but I wasn't sure. I really should learn to trust Alice; she does have that little advantage." The blonde female said. "Speak of the devil." She added as Alice bounced into the room. I wouldn't have recognized her if I wasn't so attuned to my vampire.

"Wow. Great outfit." Emmett's eyes were round with surprise and appreciation. Rosalie smacked him but I could tell she was trying desperately not to grin.

"I'm Xena, Warrior Princess." Alice explained, seeing the lost but amused look on my face. "She was a character on a TV show named Xena in the 90's." I nodded slowly, stunned by the radical change in appearance. Alice had lost the designer clothes in favour of metal and leather armor that I assumed was similar to that which the character wore in the show, and had put in hair extensions and contact lenses. The Cullens really didn't like the half-do things.

"Ok, let's go! We are meeting the others in the ER." Esme announced, standing up and walking to the door. I was still shaky on my legs, having been so weak from my ordeal, so Alice came over to help me. With our arms linked we followed Esme, Emmett and Rosalie out of the room. I was surprised to find the corridor filled with nurses, patients and black and orange decorations.

"Everyone seems to really get in to the spirit of the holiday." Emmett said and I could hear the smile in his voice. Someone dressed as a wolf came running up, growling.

"Trick or treat, smell my feet. Give me something good to eat." Came the voice of a young boy from beneath the mask. Esme smiled and held out some candy which the child eagerly took and, with a quick thank you, scampered away victorious.

"Werewolf." Muttered Rosalie in a tone of disgust. "Filthy creatures."

"It wasn't a real werewolf, Rose." Emmett said, stating the obvious.

"R-real werewolf?" I was stunned. Not only were vampires real but so were werewolves? What else was true? Did magic really exist? How about demons? I'd seen an episode or two of Charmed and knew I didn't like the idea of demons."

"Yeah, but don't worry, they're not common anymore." Alice said, pulling me towards the lift. The ride of the ER was fairly quiet; none of us really having anything to say, but the music in the lift was creepy. I think they changed it for Halloween. When we stepped out on the first floor we were bombarded by noise. Edward and Jasper almost knocked us over in their rush to get out of the ER.

"We've been waiting _forever_! We need to get out of here." We quickly closed the elevator doors and went up the level two.

"Carlisle won't be able to join us. Apparently some Halloween plans went wrong and now it's busy. God, the blood was awful! So overpowering." Edward shuddered. I noticed Jasper stayed quiet.

"It's ok, Edward. We'll stick to areas where there shouldn't be any blood." Esme said. It was only then that I took in their costumes. Edward was dressed as an angel, complete with the white dress and wings. I almost giggled. Edward, in a dress. It was funny. Jasper had gone for a more conservative outfit, opting to be a Civil War soldier. I guess having personal experience; he had fairly intimate knowledge on the subject and probably felt it appropriate. Honestly, who looking at him would realise that they were seeing a Civil War soldier turned vampire playing the role of a Civil War soldier. If I didn't know I wouldn't have guessed.

"Ok, where to first?" Alice asked, bouncing enthusiastically while still holding my hand. An amused smile crossed Edward's face.

"I think we'll try the pediatrics unit, that's on this level." He replied. We all stepped out of the elevator. I was glad to be out of the small space, it reminded me a little of being in the basement, cellar thing, whatever it was, where I'd been kept.

"That's a great idea!" Esme smiled, leading the way.

The pediatrics unit wasn't far and we didn't have any trouble finding it. There was a sign with the word 'pediatrics' on it but it was more the excessive decorations and numerous children that gave it away, plus the harassed looking nurses who were attempting to stay positive.

"Trick or treat." Jasper muttered to the first nurse we ran into, a stressed out woman who was maybe 25 and looked ready to pull her hair out.

"If I hear those words one more time, I swear to god!" She sighed before smiling in a resigned and apologetic manner. "I'm sorry, that was rude." Her peace offering was a candy for each of us, but given that the vamps don't eat it was really just a lot of candy for me. I would have to find someone to give it to later, too much candy made me sick. "Civil War soldier, huh? Interesting choice." Edward snickered and led the rest of us away, leaving Jasper to sink or swim. Looking at the rowdy room I wasn't sure we got off any better than him, he at least got to avoid the ramshackle state these children were causing.

"Do you have any candy, mister?" A small voice asked. We all looked down to see a child probably five years old, standing looking up at Emmett. The sight was so comical I nearly giggled. Emmett? Mister? Alice didn't bother trying not to giggle; neither did Rosalie or Edward, causing Emmett to give them all dirty looks.

"I sure do, tyke, what's your name?" Emmett replied, holding out some candy for the child.

"Sam." The boy said quietly. Alice leaned closer to me.

"I half expected him to say Oliver." She whispered to me, giggling again. I didn't understand the reference but the other vampires smiled so I assumed it was amusing.

"Why are you an angel?" Sam asked Edward.

"Oh I love the honesty and bluntness of children." Emmett sighed happily while Edward floundered for an answer.

"Um, I like angels. Don't you?" I'd never seen Edward so flustered. Usually he was calm and collected.

"No, angels took my mummy and daddy. I think they're mean." Ouch. My heart melted and at the same time my throat constricted. The boy's story was tragic but for a second I was jealous. At least he'd known his parents, known they loved him and cared. I didn't and probably never would. For all I knew my parents had freely given me to the man who had raped and abused me for the majority of my life. I didn't have a name or face to associate with them and had no proof, nor belief, that they cared.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry!" Esme said. I could tell it was difficult for her not to hug him, but her body temperature would probably frighten him and that wouldn't be a good thing. I looked away from the boy, not wanting to see his pain-filled, lost-puppy eyes, and met Edward's gaze. Crap, that wasn't any better. He was looking at me with sadness and I knew straight away that he had heard my thoughts on the topic of parents. While it hurt to know my parents, in all likelihood, had not given a damn about me, it didn't really matter. It was ancient history and I had something much better now; a real family. Family, to me, was not determined by blood or genetics as it was for so many, but by trust and love, so while I didn't know who had brought me into the world, I knew who in it I belonged with. Unconsciously my hand tightened on Alice's and I moved closer to her.

"Who's Oliver?" I asked my voice barely audible.

"Oliver Twist. Oh, you _have_ to see it." Responded Alice, enthusiasm lighting up her entire face. "Ok, as soon as we get you back home we're gonna have a movie marathon. We'll catch you up on the best movies of all time, ok." I wasn't exactly sure who decided what the best movies of all time were but I did like the idea of a movie marathon with the Cullens and Hales.

"We should go and save Jasper." Edward said but Alice shook her head.

"No, not yet! We've only given candy to one kid and we've only gotten some from a nurse!" she sounded just like a whiny child herself, an adorable pout plastered onto her angelic face. Without waiting for a response from anyone Alice yanked me forward, dancing over to the nearest group of parents with a bright smile.

"Trick or treat!" She chanted charmingly, smile in place.

"Aren't you a little old for that?" The father asked. I snickered. He had _no_ idea how old she was.

"You're never too old for fun. Plus, my friend here has never celebrated Halloween before." Said Alice brightly. I was surprised she mentioned the fact that I'd never celebrated Halloween, usually there was no mention of my past around strangers or people outside the Cullen family.

"Oh, well I suppose it can't hurt. How come you're here anyway?" I knew he was only making conversation but I didn't like that he was asking such personal information. Luckily Alice knew me well enough not to answer that question truthfully.

"My father is a doctor here so we celebrate most holidays at hospitals to be closer to him." Well technically she wasn't lying. The man smiled and held out two candy bars. Alice took both and slipped one into the bag I was holding, causing the man to look at me strangely. "She's very shy." Alice cut off any question and thanked the man for the candy before rejoining her family.

"Let's go to the geriatric ward, they always love to see youthful people there." Rosalie said with a little smirk. They never tired of age related jokes.

"Yeah well, for once they'll be right for not trusting what their eyes tell them." I teased without thinking. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I froze, cold terror washing over me and my mind going numb. I couldn't think or move, all I knew was that I was cold and scared.

"What and I suppose you're a real ninja now, Kyra?" Emmett laughed and I felt my body relax. I'm not sure what I was so scared of, maybe I just went into shock because I hadn't been expecting to say anything. Whatever the case was, I wasn't in a state of terror anymore. Not quite feeling normal yet I slunk along beside Alice for the rest of the night, keeping to the wall as much as I could so as not to attract attention to myself.

**Hey everyone, sorry about not updating in a while. I've been busy, sadly. Chances are updates will be less frequent than they were previously as uni is about to start again. Sorry! Please read and review, I'd love to know what people think!!!**


	5. Hospital

**Disclaimer: Twilight is, sadly, not mine. I wish it was but hey. I do borrow Alice from time to time though. *giggles happily***

**A/N: For those of you who don't know, a blue card is an Australian thing that permits adults to work with children. I'm not sure what the equivalent is in America so I just kept it as a blue card. (and yeah, it is actually blue.)**

**Oh and I stole a quote or two from the movie, just because I loved the lines and I could make them fit seamlessly here. **

**Parts of this chapter were insanely difficult for me to write as they are deeply personal, however I felt them to be neccessary to the story and so wrote them. As such, while I definitely encourage reviews, I would appreciate it if people would consider the sensitivity of the subject when reviewing.**

The day after Halloween I was snuggled up in my bed at the hospital, eyes on Alice, listening as she enthusiastically recounted an argument between Rosalie and Emmett that had taken place earlier in the morning. I was exhausted from the Halloween celebrations the night before but on the plus side I hadn't flinched away when the male Cullen family members had entered my room to say hello before school this morning. At no time was I left alone. While the Cullen 'kids' were at school and Carlisle at work Esme would stay with me, chattering while I struggled to eat lunch and playing Snap or Go Fish and deliberately losing (but she thought I didn't know that). She meant well, though, so I said nothing about knowing the games were rigged. I did like it when she told me stories, though. That was one of the highlights of my day, the others were, naturally, when Alice visited and when Rosalie and Emmett would have their turn babysitting me.

"So then Rosalie threatened to hold out and, well, I'm sure you can guess Emmett's reaction." Alice grinned. I smirked, imagining the horrified expression I'm sure graced Emmett's face upon hearing Rosalie's threat.

"Um, anyway, I thought I should give you some warning. Your social worker is here. She's gonna come into your room in a minute." I nearly choked, staring at Alice in a mixture of fear and confusion. "Don't worry; we're all going to be here with you. It'll be fine." My goddess assured me. I felt my body relax as her words washed away my fear, her loving gaze calming and comforting.

"Hello Kyra." Miss Adams sounded just as nervous as I felt, probably because the last time I'd seen her was just before I'd been abducted, and I'd technically still be in her care at the time, not having been transferred to a doctor. I couldn't say anything; I just looked at her, taking comfort in the fact that she was followed by all the Cullens, bar Alice who was already with me.

"I think we'd all prefer for this to be as short as possible." Edward said, speaking for me. I smiled at him gratefully. Miss Adams nodded.

"Yes, well basically I'm here to consider your future placement, be that returning to the psychiatric hospital, the Yorkshire's or somewhere else." Nancy Adams said, flicking through her folder for absolutely no reason, the way I'd seen so many professionals do before her. Carlisle cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him.

"I think it would be best if Kyra came to live with us. She is firm friends with us all, I am well equipped to deal with her medical needs and we are, erm, well off, financially." Carlisle said, faltering only at the end, and lets face it, how do you tell someone that you have access to pretty much limitless bank accounts? Working for a couple of centuries and not needing to buy food tends to do that to people, or should I say, vampires?

"Well I will need to run background checks on your family and you and your wife will both need to hold blue cards." Nancy replied.

"That's fine, we have our blue cards here and other than Emmett's one traffic violation nobody in my family has ever been charged with any offence." I liked how he avoided mentioning the murders Edward, Jasper and Rosalie had all committed, yet did not lie. Miss Adams took down the details of their cards and put a call through to someone asking to check the backgrounds of Esme and Carlisle Cullen and their adopted children. While we waited the 'adults' made boring small talk while Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and I settled down to play I-Spy.

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with C." Rosalie said.

"Carlisle." Edward answered immediately.

"Cheater." Rosalie poked her tongue out at him.

"No cheating." Esme said, not breaking her conversation, just instinctively knowing there would be cheating.

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with G." Edward said after a brief glance around the room.

"Ohh, I know. But I can't say it." Alice pouted. I gave Edward puppy eyes, hoping he would let Alice guess seeing as she was so excited about it. Surprisingly, he relented.

"Ok, Alice, what is it?"

"Gucci!" She squealed, pointing at Rosalie's shoes. "And I didn't _really_ cheat, it's not like I have a choice in what I see."

"I can't believe I didn't get that." Rosalie scowled, looking down at her beloved shoes.

"Babe, come on, it's just a game." Emmett coaxed a smile out of his soul mate.

"I spy with my eye something beginning with D." Alice grinned, confident in whatever she'd chosen.

"Alice you know the phrase is 'I spy with my_ little_ eye'?" Jasper reminded her while Edward pulled a face. Alice must be thinking of random unrelated things to prevent Edward reading the answer from her mind.

"I know nothing of the sort, Jasper." Alice said airily, looking around the room daring anyone to challenge her.

"Is it doona?" I asked, so quietly that only the vampires would have any chance of hearing me.

"Nope but good try." Alice answered, taking my hand in hers and moving from the chair to sit on the side of my bed.

"Duct tape?" Emmett guessed, pointing to some duct tape sitting on a surface in the corner for no apparent reason.

"No. And it's not Daemon, Rosalie." Alice said. Daemon was the name I'd given to the teddy bear Rosalie and Alice had given me on the day I woke up. Rose pouted.

"Hello, Kyra, ah as usual you have guests." Dr. Matherson said, walking into the room and opening my file.

"Doctor!" Jasper almost shouted. Dr. Matherson spun around alarmed.

"Yes? Are you hurt? Sit down." Dr. Matherson flew into emergency mode, forcing Jasper to sit down.

"No, no, I'm not hurt. We were playing I-Spy and I guessed doctor." Jasper said hurriedly. Alice was shaking beside me, the laughter almost exploding from her perfect lips.

"Oh, well, in that case." Dr. Matherson returned his attention to me.

"You're right, Jasper." Alice said. "But it was Dr. Cullen not Dr. Matherson."

"So, Kyra, physically you are good to go. Obviously we want you to get lots of rest and it's not a good idea to return to school just yet. Emotionally and mentally how are you?" Dr. Matherson asked me.

"How do you _think_ she is?" Rosalie asked her tone scathing.

"I'm sorry, doctor, my sister is a little touchy on the subject. Kyra is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances. She is quieter than she was previously and won't talk outside our family but give it time." Jasper said. "Emotionally she's walking a thin line. She's holding it together but the slightest thing could push her over." The doctor looked at him quizzically. "I'm, uh, very good at reading people, particularly emotions." Jasper explained awkwardly, Edward chuckling a little at Jasper's discomfort and, most likely, the thoughts flying through the empath's mind.

"Oh, well, erm, in any case, we have a psychiatrist coming down to speak to you, Kyra." Dr. Matherson said. He turned to leave but was stopped by Carlisle who smiled charmingly and held out a hand.

"Dr. Matherson, I understand that you are in charge of Kyra's case but I was wondering if you could give me any information, as another doctor." Carlisle asked. Dr. Matherson looked unwilling for a minute but relented, probably due to Jasper sending relaxing vibes at him.

"Alright, but we'll discuss it outside. Not in front of Kyra." The pair left the room, leaving Esme to deal with Miss Adams alone. I felt sorry for her.

"Be glad it's Esme. If it were any of us we would have killed her by now. Esme is just that much better at controlling her rage." Edward whispered to me.

"It's my turn." Jasper announced, turning our attention back to the game. "I spy with my _little_ eye, something beginning with…C." He seemed pleased with his choice. Was I the only one who realised they were all choosing letters at the beginning of the alphabet?

"Cat!" Emmett cried.

"Emmett, it's a hospital. There's no cat here." Rosalie shook her head, exasperated. Emmett pouted but then smiled and shrugged.

"Oh well." He said, already over it.

"Cucumber?" Asked Rosalie, referring to my largely uneaten and still uncollected lunch.

"Definitely not." Jasper shook his head.

"Is it the crack?" I whispered my eyes on the crack in the roof about thirty centimeters long.

"Yes!" Jasper seemed thrilled that I'd guessed it, as did Alice even though I knew she had foreseen that I would.

"I s-spy with my little eye, s-something beginning w-with W." I smiled, pleased that I'd chosen something so far from them in the alphabet.

"Wanker?" Asked Emmett with a cheeky grin, poking his tongue out at his mind-reading brother.

"Very mature, Emmett." Replied Edward. I shook my head in response to Emmett's guess.

"Wheel?" Guessed Jasper and again I shook my head.

"Is it window?" Rosalie asked. Neither Edward nor Alice were guessing because of their advantages.

"No, it's not." Edward said for me. Frustrated, the vampires looked around the room, scrutinizing objects to see if there was something on them that could possibly begin with W. When Alice began to smile I knew someone was about to guess correctly.

"Oh, Windex!" Rosalie called out triumphantly, sure she was right. She was. Before she could take her turn, however, Miss Adams inadvertently put an end to the game when her phone rang. Everyone froze and turn to stare at her, intent on her conversation despite Alice's reassurances that it would be fine.

"Nancy Adams, oh hi Rex… yeah you've got the histories? ....Ok, great, thank you so much, I owe you one. Bye." She hung up her phone and met six pairs of golden eyes plus mine. "Um, that was Rex; you're fine to proceed with the foster situation."

"Yes!" Emmett yelled, a grin breaking out on his face. The others visibly relaxed, smiles gracing their beautiful faces and Alice pulled me into a hug. I realised then that despite her vision she had been anxious. It must be difficult to see a flash of the future but not know for sure that a decision wouldn't be made that would change the outcome. I melted against her, tears of happiness coming to my eyes. That moment was the first time since my recent abduction that I had felt truly safe, that my thoughts of the future weren't clouded by the past. For the first time I could see endless days of happiness, mucking around with the Cullens, going back to school and maybe even getting over my self-destructive habit for good. Alice and I clung to one another for what felt like hours until I slowly fell asleep, happy.

It was dark when I woke, or as dark as it ever got in a hospital, the lights dimmed to allow sleep without the nurses and doctors fumbling around in blackness. The Cullens were gone, but there was a note on the little table beside my bed. I reached out to grab it, only then noticing the drip in my hand that I was sure had not been there earlier.

Kyra my dear,

We have gone out to grab a bite to eat and will be back soon. I love you forever.

Yours eternally,

Alice

Ps. Don't stress, the drip is just to keep you hydrated, they worry you aren't drinking enough.

I smiled at the note, holding it to myself for a second. Obviously she had written it anticipating that a passing nurse or doctor may read it, hence she had not written that they were hunting, but I got the meaning behind her words. I was in a room all on my own but it wasn't exactly cut off from the rest of the world and precautions still had to be taken. As if to prove my point the man in the room next door gave an enormous snore. I felt something shift within me, as it had done so many times before, my previously content mood plummeting to the low I was intimately familiar with. I pulled myself up from the bed and made my way to the bathroom, tugging along the drip on its little stand. Once in the locked room I gritted my teeth and yanked off the tape holding the drip still then pulled the drip out. It hurt but that didn't bother me, it was kind of the point. My mind blank, the way it usually was when I self-harmed, I slashed the needle across my legs, tears dripping down my cheeks and mingling with the blood but my mind still void of thought. Again and again I struck at my arms and legs viciously with the sharp needle until suddenly everything changed. It was as if I had been watching the entire thing on TV and suddenly I was living it. The colours grew brighter, the blood felt warm against my skin and the pain set in, along with the horror I normally always felt after one of these episodes. I closed my eyes, my body shaking as I struggled to calm myself. Slowly I got to my feet and limped over to the door, unlocking it and staggering out of my room towards the nurses' station.

"What are you doing up this late?" asked a kindly woman. I watched the smile disappear from her face as she realised I was covered in blood. "What happened?" She asked, hurrying around the counter and calling to a doctor who was on her way out of one of the rooms.

"Oh shit!" The doctor cursed, rushing towards me. "It's the Storm kid." She told the nurse, like that explained everything. It must have because the nurse swore under her breath.

"What did you use, sweetie?" The nurse asked me gently. I opened my mouth but choked up, unable to form the words. "Sweetie, come on, we need to know." Encouraged the nurse. Realising I wouldn't be able to say the words I held up my right hand, showing them both the absence of IV.

"Inventive." Muttered the doctor as she positioned me on a bed in a room full of medical supplies. "Cassidy can you call Psych and ask them to put a rush on her appointment?" I sighed, resigned to my fate. Chances were I would spend the rest of my life in and out of hospitals and institutions, unless the Cullens were somehow able to convince the psychiatrist that I would be better off with them. The nurse, Cassidy, nodded once and left the room, leaving me alone with the doctor. Neither of us spoke for a while, me staring off into space and her concentrating on fixing up my wounds. A couple needed stitches but I barely felt the pain, my mind elsewhere.

"Ok Dr. Lace, they're sending someone down first thing in the morning." Cassidy, the nurse, said as she returned to the room.

"Great, thanks Cassidy. Ok, Kyra, I'm just going to give you a sedative, it'll make you sleep until morning." Dr. Lace said, smiling in a friendly manner as she injected me with the nameless sleep drug. The last thing I saw was Dr. Lace and Cassidy talking about something as my entire world faded from sight.

"Can I wake her?" Oh god, that was definitely Emmett's voice.

"No! You heard the doctor, let her sleep it off." And there was Alice, rushing to my rescue.

"How much can a human sleep?" Emmett again, sounding a little impatient.

"Uh, guys, she's awake." What! Thanks Edward, stupid mind-reading vampire! He chuckled. "I heard that." He told me. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking at the harshness of the bright lights.

"So, we heard you had an interesting night." Jasper said softly, his expression one of concern. I glanced at Alice, noticing that her expression mimicked the one on Jasper's face.

"Um, y-yeah, I guess you c-could say that." I stuttered nervously, my wrists and legs hurting a little now that I was fully awake.

"Well, the psychiatrist will be here in a minute so we thought you might want a little preparation time." Edward told me, smiling in sympathy.

"Don't worry, it'll go fine." Promised Alice, taking my hand in hers. "But you and I will have a little chat later, alright." It wasn't a question so I didn't respond. "Come on; let's go brush your hair." The pixie goddess helped me to my feet and practically carried me to the bathroom, which had been cleaned while I slept. When we emerged fifteen minutes later I looked like a different person. Alice had helped me shower, which was difficult for both of us given our attraction to one another, her blood lust and my, well, history I suppose. But we'd survived and I was now clean and refreshed, my hair blow dried and straightened courtesy of Alice's vampiric speed and a little make up put on to make me look less like a hospital patient and more like a human being.

"Wow! What a difference a shower can make." Emmett teased and, as usual, I blushed, but I was secretly pleased. It was just such an Emmett thing to do and, in all honesty, I would have been upset had he not said something and treated me like someone on their deathbed. Yes what happened last night changed a lot of things and complicated others but I wanted people to act as normal, not walk on eggshells around me.

"T-thanks, Emmett." I smiled, poking my tongue out at him briefly before turning to Alice. "Thank _you_, Alice." I said, looking into her warm, honey eyes and seeing concern and love. I leaned forward and kissed her gently on her lips before pulling away and letting her help me into the chair beside my bed. I was thoroughly sick of that bed.

Two hours later the psychiatric consult was over. Dr. Cullen had managed to convince the man that they were fit to look after me and that I would attend regular therapy sessions at the Forks Community Hospital. Naturally, part of my release was that the school would be notified of my mental condition and suitable measures would be taken on their part. It sucked, but at least I was free. Dr. Lace had gone home but a nurse by the name of Adrienne came in to change my dressings for me and organize the discharge. Then I was finally allowed to go.

Alice and I only stopped in briefly at the Cullen mansion, just long enough for her to dump my bags in her room, before she bundled me in her yellow Porsche and took off again. Alone with Alice it was easier to speak and my stuttering basically disappeared.

"Where are we going?" I asked. My voice was still quiet but that didn't matter, seeing as the only people who heard me speak were vampires with super sensitive hearing.

"Shopping!" Cried Alice a bright smile on her face. The smile faded and she looked at me seriously. "And on the way we're going to have that talk." I grimaced, knowing the talk was going to seriously suck. "Am I that scary? Is it that hard to talk about?"

"Alice you don't scare me, you know that. It's just; sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing. Last night, in the hospital, one second everything was fine and the next it was like…it wasn't even me doing it. It wasn't my body, it wasn't me, and I was watching the hand move over and over again with the needle, and the blood was everywhere but nothing hurt. Then all of a sudden it _was_ me and it hurt and the colours were all so bright and the blood warm and metallic and I freaked, I needed to get help. So I did. And it scares the hell out of me but I grew up like that, I always assumed it was normal. But I never know when it's going to happen and when it does, I can't control it." I was crying by the end of my speech and didn't even notice that the car stopped moving until I was in Alice's arms, wrapped in her cold embrace.

"It's ok, Kyra, I'll help you, I promise."


	6. Shopping With Alice

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Twilight but yes I do borrow Alice frequently. I think Jasper's getting suspicious.**

For what felt like hours I leant against Alice, her arms wrapped around me in a comforting manner, her unnecessary breath softly shifting my hair. Finally I pushed myself upright and wiped my eyes.

"I'm ok." I told her, giving a watery smile that was as shaky as I felt, but would have to do.

"You have to be, unless you want clothes that don't fit properly." Alice threatened, reminding me of the purpose of our trip – new clothes. I sighed, before meeting Alice I had never been in a shopping centre. With a smirk, Alice started up the car again and took off.

In the shopping centre I was uncomfortably aware of the stares people gave us. People started off with a look of awe on their faces when they saw Alice then, noticing me beside her, looked awkward and distinctly uncomfortable. For the most part Alice completely ignored them, right up until we passed a group of guys hanging around outside Gloria Jeans. The bandages the nurse had put on earlier in the morning were in plain sight because I had no long sleeved clothes.

"Fuckin' emo." One of the guys called out. Alice tensed and I shook my head.

"Leave it." I muttered quietly, knowing she would hear.

"No." Alice said shortly, spinning around to face the guys. "Do you have something you want to say?" Alice snarled, her voice sounding dangerous even to me, who was not on the receiving end of her anger. The idiots didn't back down, although one or two paled a little.

"Yeah, your friend there, she's a fucking emo." The middle guy said with an uneasy smirk.

"Better to be an emo than a low-life piece of scum like you." Alice spat, rage screaming from every word.

"A-alice, it's ok…" I whispered, tugging on her arm. She let me pull her, turning around for only one last shot at them.

"If I hear so much as a whisper from _any_ of you, so help me god I will maim you." Not one of the guys spoke. They stood stock still obviously petrified. I didn't blame them, if Alice said not to move I'd probably stop breathing.

Almost two hours later we had an entirely new wardrobe for me and several new outfits for Alice. I had pulled a new jumper on, effectively hiding my bandages and limiting the stares.

"One last thing." Alice announced, dragging me over to the food court.

"No, Alice, I'm fine…really." I resisted, hating the idea of eating in front of so many people. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but I'm only letting it go now because we're going grocery shopping for the first time ever tonight." She gave a little jump and an excited smile. I groaned.

"We meaning just you and me, right?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Don't be silly! Do you think any of us would pass up the chance to try something new?"

"That's what I thought." I replied glumly.

"Can I please get…um, psst, what's your favourite food on this list?" Alice asked. I shook my head but knew I'd have to answer anyway.

"Anything." I replied softly. I hadn't realised we were still in the line, which was probably Alice's plan – distract me with grocery shopping to buy more stuff now.

"Um, I'll get a coke and fries thanks." Alice said after a pause, smiling at me triumphantly. I rolled my eyes and accepted the food, knowing a lost cause when I saw one.

"Can we go now?" I asked as we left the food court. Alice laughed.

"You know I won't tell anyone if you actually have fun." She teased and I blushed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous about grocery shopping." I admitted. Alice burst out laughing hysterically.

"Oh it's going to be much worse than whatever you're imagining." She assured me.

"Thanks." I scowled, flicking a fry at her, taking advantage of the other humans around to force Alice to let it hit her.

"Welcome." She smiled, dazzling me temporarily and skipping ahead, unlocking the car. It was going to be a _long_ day.

**The next chapter will be the grocery shopping which will be a bit of comic relief from the angst of the last few chapters, then we'll get back into the angst. Sorry about the long absence – uni got insane but I promise I'll update at least one story each week.**


	7. Grocery Shopping aka Kill Me Now!

**Disclaimer: Need I really say it? Fine. *sulks* Stephenie Meyer owns everything…wait, I lie, I own Kyra and a few other minor characters who aren't in this chapter. I also own the plot, but not the Cullen's house or cars. The trolley I might own because it was not specifically mentioned in Twilight, I'll ask her lawyer and get back to you.**

The yellow Porsche pulled smoothly into the garage at the Cullen's white mansion. I was surprised the bags had fit in the car, never mind that Alice could see over them in the mirror. Knowing that I hated people holding doors for me, the petite vampire danced inside laden with bags and singing out to Edward.

"Eddie! Can you get the rest of the bags? Thank you!" There wasn't a pause to wait for his response but that's Alice for you. Slowly making my way out of the car, I jumped when Edward appeared before me, more bag than Edward but still.

"Enjoy shopping?" He asked teasingly. With a noncommittal 'nn' sound I bolted. Halfway up the stairs I collided with the pixie I was so in love with.

"Sorry!" I whispered. Despite knowing that I couldn't hurt them I still cringed whenever I ran into one of them, like they were breakable. Alice looked at me like I was nuts for the apology and then brushed it aside with a smile.

"Come on, Carlisle wants to change your bandages." She grabbed my hand and spiraled down the stairs, pulling me along behind her. Carlisle appeared hard at work when we entered the room but the warm smile showed we were welcome.

"Alice, I should have known, I was just about to call you both." He said, standing up and moving around the desk. Alice nudged me towards the chair closest to the desk and perched on the arm of it herself. With Carlisle's gentle hands and vampire quick movements I barely even noticed the changing of the bandages. "When are we leaving?" Carlisle asked once he was finished, speaking slowly only for my benefit.

"In twenty minutes." Alice smiled, dragging me out of the room and back upstairs. "Ok, let's work out our grocery shopping outfits!" She looked so excited that I just couldn't say no.

Fifteen minutes later we were rounding up the other vampires as my impatient Alice ranted about the time.

"I said twenty minutes, guys, and that was 17 minutes ago! You should be ready now!" She said huffily, glaring around at the three Cullens that we had managed to locate; Esme, Rosalie and Carlisle.

"Do you want me to go find them?" Esme offered, ever the peace keeper. Alice shook her head.

"I know exactly where they are and if Emmett doesn't get out of my cupboard I will personally force him to wear those Prada shoes to the store!" She snarled, her tone sounding very un-Alice.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming!" Emmett called, appearing in the room with a sheepish expression, accompanied by the two other AWOL vamps.

We still reached the store way too early for my liking. The sky wasn't dark and the grocery store parking lot was still pretty busy. The red Ferrari and silver Volvo were super conspicuous, even amongst the more up markets parked there. When we entered the grocery store a few of the locals actually stopped and stared, amazed to see the Cullens in the store. I could have died of embarrassment but they took it all in their stride, heading towards the first aisle with a trolley.

"Ok, what do we need?" Emmett asked in his most business-like voice.

"Uh, everything." Replied Rosalie as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Alice, who I kept forgetting recalled nothing about being human, widened her eyes.

"Um, I don't think that everything will fit in the cars…" She said nervously, causing Edward to snort in laughter. Carlisle, who despite being a doctor had a pretty sketchy idea about human eating habits, looked as astonished as Alice.

"Well, let's start with essentials. Um, bread, milk…are you vegetarian?" Esme asked, assuming control of the situation.

"No." I replied in a very quiet voice, fully aware of the attention we were still attracting.

"Ok, let's get to it." With that everyone moved forward purposefully, heading to get necessary items.

Everything went fine until we reached the non-edible items, namely personal hygiene products. When Emmett began to push the already full trolley down that particular aisle I just about had a heart attack.

"Uh, I, um, uh, you don't need to come in this one." I stuttered nervously, my face turning red with embarrassment. Of course, that just made Emmett even more curious and Alice, who had obviously seen this in a vision, began to giggle.

"But Kyra, you need soap and things." Carlisle objected, completely missing the point. Despite my protests Emmett pushed passed and we made our way into the aisle. Thankfully it was shampoo first. I knew very little about it, having only ever used whatever was given to me, so I let Rosalie and Alice argue about which one was best for my hair. Eventually a shampoo and matching conditioner was placed in the trolley unceremoniously, belying the war that had been waged over deciding which to get. Soap was easy because I was particularly fond of Palmolive scented soap, and Alice heartily agreed. A hairbrush and some accessories were thrown in despite the fact that I already had a brush, and then we moved on to the items I was dreading.

"What's this for?" Emmett asked, holding up a packet of tampons. Jasper shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe you put it in your ears to block out noise?" He suggested, glancing at me curiously. I stared at the floor, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, my face as red as spilt blood. Emmett turned the pack over and scanned the instructions, his eyes widening.

"Why would anyone-" He began before being cut off by his girlfriend, who leant over and whispered into his ear. He began snickering and looked over at me. "Well I guess you'll need that." He chortled, placing a couple of packs in the trolley. Relieved to be past the most mortifying area, I didn't pay attention to what was next until I was surrounded by cream and razors. Oh crap.

"Umm…" Rosalie said, voicing what I'm sure everyone was thinking.

"Yeah, why would they have a section devoted to this stuff given what it's used for? Why not sell guns and drugs too?" Jasper asked, completely unaware of the fact that normal people only use the blades for shaving.

"That's not just what it's used for, Jasper. People use this stuff to get rid of hair." Explained Rosalie, obviously having read enough magazines to know.

"But why would Kyra shave her head?" Asked Emmett, horrified. I groaned, wanting this conversation to just end.

"Not that hair, Emmett." Esme laughed while I buried my head against Alice's shoulder and pretended to cry.

"Oh god, let it end!" I muttered causing Alice to laugh and wrap her arms around me. The Cullens discussed the options while I zoned out, seeking a small reprieve from this torturously long shopping trip, in my head.

"Ok, we'll do that." Carlisle said decisively as Esme reached for a razor and shaving cream while Rosalie threw some moisturizer into the trolley.

"Hmm?" I asked, mildly curious as to the decision.

"We're going to trust you with it but Alice is going to check you daily and Jasper and Edward will be keeping a….sense…out too." That seemed fair enough to me so I nodded easily. The last thing we grabbed before leaving the store was a box of paddle pops. Presumably Alice had told the others that I had a slight addiction to the ice cream.

**Ok, there you go. The shopping trip. Not as bad for Kyra as it could have been, I was feeling merciful. But we needed a break for the angst because it's gonna come back full swing next chapter. Poor Kyra, you'd think I'd let her get better but nope**


End file.
